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A positive side effect of so many injuries at Manchester United this season has been the introduction of academy players into the first team.
Kobbie Mainoo is a bonafide international now, while Willy Kambwala also looks to have taken his chance with both hands.
A third prospect could follow the duo soon if recent reports are to be believed.
Manchester Evening News reports that United have promoted Jack Kingdon to first-team training ahead of the Bournemouth game.
United are short of defensive options after Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans got injured as well, leaving Harry Maguire and Willy Kambwala as the only natural options.
Therefore, Kingdon is in line to at least make the first-team squad vs Bournemouth, if not the starting XI.
Kingdon is a highly-rated prospect who has captained the U18s on occasion this season as they are on course to finish as league champions.
Standing at 6’1″, he has a history as a sprinter so he combines good size with great pace, a necessity in Erik ten Hag’s system where defenders are forced to defend transitions and go one-on-one.
He shot to prominence when he played a game for Morecambe U18s while being less than 14, prompting United to splash a six-figure sum for him at the time.
He is not yet an established member of the U21s but that never stopped Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho from making the step up.
Kingdon joins Shea Lacey in a string of academy stars benefitting from the sterling league season at that level to leverage those performances to get first-team experience.
He would hope to get at least some minutes on the pitch late on if United are winning comfortably or are looking for bodies at the back to defend a late lead.
Kambwala already looks to have saved United millions in the market with his rise and Kingdon could add to that with a good end to the season.
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