Willy Kambwala completes permanent Man Utd exit | OneFootball

Manchester United defender Willy Kambwala has completed a permanent transfer to Villarreal following last season's first-team breakthrough.

The 19-year-old has signed a long-term contract with the Spanish side until 2029.

Kambwala made ten senior appearances for United in 2023/24, largely the result of a defensive injury crisis that saw Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans all miss games at various points of the campaign.

Varane has since left the club as a free agent, tipped to join Como in Serie A. But Evans has agreed a contract extension and United are expected to recruit at least one, possibly two, new centre-backs this summer, with Matthijs de Ligt, Jarrad Branthwaite and Leny Yoro all serious targets.

A United statement on Kambwala read: "Willy leaves with the sincere thanks of everyone at Manchester United, and our very best wishes for the next chapter of his career."

Kambwala won the FA Cup with Man Utd in May / Marc Atkins/GettyImages

The Frenchman will hope the move to Villarreal, where he will link up with former United centre-back Eric Bailly, gives him greater opportunity for consistent game time.

Kambwala was born in DR Congo but relocated to France with his family at the age of five. His career began at a local Paris club, before spending time at Sochaux and then moving to Manchester to join United’s academy ranks in October 2020 shortly after turning 16.

He played regularly in Premier League 2 and the UEFA Youth League in the first half of last season, but was promoted to the first-team squad in December and played 84 minutes of a Premier League defeat to West Ham United two days before Christmas.

Further starts came against Liverpool and Bournemouth in April, while Kambwala also appeared as a substitute in clashes with Manchester City, Arsenal and others. In the FA Cup, he was an unused substitute for the final against City at Wembley in late May.