Manchester United’s Sekou Kone favors comparisons with the legend as shirt number revealed

But for some sections of United’s fan base, any warmth they may have felt for the towering Frenchman would be forever undermined by the manner of his departure four years earlier.

Pogba, creeping into the first-team stage with the number 42 on his back, infuriated Sir Alex Ferguson and co when he, along with infamous agent Mino Raiola, refused to sign a new contract in favor of of change in Italy.

So Man United will hope that, as far as Sekou Kone is concerned, the similarities start and end with his shirt number.

Sekou Kone’s shirt number revealed ahead of Manchester United’s clash with Fenerbahce

Ahead of what could be a United debut in Thursday’s Europa League clash with Fenerbahce, Kone was put on trial with Erik ten Hag’s first team.

The number 42 was visible on his training top.

As such, should Kone feature in Istanbul, Kone will make his first competitive appearance for the Red Devils in the same shirt Pogba wore during the 3-0 win at Leeds United in the EFL Cup in 2011.

Of course, there is another, more famous example of a generation-defining central midfielder wearing the number 42 shirt.

Although Pogba would only make seven appearances in this top flight before swapping Manchester for Turin, Yaya Toure spent eight years in the blue side of City, popularizing a number more associated with youth and academy kids rather than the real superstars.

For Man City icon Toure, the number 42 shirt became as iconic as Zinedine Zidane’s number five, for example.

And Sekou Kone’s ‘next Yaya Toure’ moniker may have added meaning now, with comparisons between Man United’s teenage star and the three-time Premier League champion now going beyond his balletic elegance and hard-hitting and ball-handling skills.

Sekou Kone has been compared to Man City hero Yaya Toure

Of course, Kone is not the first young African midfielder to be labeled as the second coming of Touré.

This billing of the ‘new Yaya’ is as common in Africa as comparisons with Lionel Messi in South America. Or Thierry Henry in France, for example.

Hailing from Malia rather than Toure’s homeland of Ivory Coast, Sekou Kone isn’t as tall as the Man City hero, but he seems to thrive with the ball at his feet.

Kone, who loves to get forward from deep, has also been compared to former Chelsea giant Michael Essien with respected scout Jacek Kulig highlighting his pace, technique and athleticism among a host of other attributes .

“Typically deployed as a defensive midfielder, he has shown his versatility, demonstrating his ability to push forward when needed,” wrote FootBoom after Man United secured Kone’s services in the summer.

“His robust style includes excellent ball-winning skills and impressive stamina, allowing him to effectively track and disrupt opposition plays.”

Kone has reportedly stepped up after impressing Man United’s coaching staff behind the scenes at Carrington.

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