Willy Kambwala makes big career decision ahead of Man Utd reunion in Champions League

Manchester United will face a familiar player when they take on Como in the Champions League, but Willy Kambwala is already in the news before that game.

Willy Kambwala stands as one of the success stories of Man Utd’s academy, fetching the club about £8m for his move to Villarreal.

Before that, he had some good games for the first-team, so, despite his injury troubles after moving, Kambwala was more than a good servant at Old Trafford.

He joined Como this summer to revive his career under Cesc Fabregas, and is set to face United in the UCL now, but before that, he’s made a big career decision.

The world looked to be at Kambwala’s feet when he broke through at Old Trafford with some encouraging performances, but he’s plateaued since then.

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Having made some appearances for the French youth sides, his hopes would have been of making it to the senior team one day, as Leny Yoro has recently.

However, knowing that the prospects were remote at best, Kambwala has switched nationalities and declared for Congo to boost his international prospects.

Kambwala made his international debut on October 2 against Uganda, and he made his intention of declaring for Congo clear in September with a heartfelt message.

He wrote [Instagram]: “Democratic Republic of Congo. Land of my birth. Land where I hit my first balls. Land where I fell in love with this sport. Land where my dream of professional football began. So it’s with pride and honour that I want and will defend the colours of this flag and this entire nation. Thanks God for this blessing.”

Kambwala’s debut ended in a 0-2 loss, but he adds to a growing contingent of players who are switching nationalities and making Congo a team to watch out for.

From Man Utd’s perspective, Axel Tuanzebe and Aaron Wan-Bissaka already declared for the African side, and powered a dream run in the World Cup, where they were knocked out by England’s late flurry.

With Kambwala added to the mix, they get another proven contributor for the backline, and for Man Utd fans, DR Congo will increasingly become their “second team” in international football.

When Kambwala welcomes United to Como for their Champions League clash, he will do so as a capped international player in another success story for the academy.