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DR Congo has made an official move for Manchester United defender Godwill Kukonki to represent their national team at the international level. According to Steven Railston, the decision lies with the 17-year-old talent.
Born on February 6, 2008, in Stoke-on-Trent, England, he joined the Manchester United youth academy at the age of five. Standing at an impressive 6 feet 5 inches, he has emerged as a formidable presence in defense. Primarily a center-back, Kukonki’s left-footedness and versatility have also seen him effectively deployed as a left-back for United’s Under-18 team. His technical prowess combined with his physical attributes has drawn comparisons to elite defenders like Joško Gvardiol.
Since taking over the managerial reins at Manchester United in November of 2024, Ruben Amorim has been keenly monitoring the academy players of the club. Kukonki was one of the prominent ones during this observation, thus joining the first-team training sessions. He even went on to travel with the senior team to the Premier League game against Ipswich Town and was also named on the bench for the tie against Arsenal. Amorim still sounded confident that Kukonki is already ready for top-flight football: “He is 16 but impressed me a lot. It’s a sign, too, for all of the kids who can be here. If something happened with the first team, they have to go up, and I think he’s ready; he’s very adult to handle the demands of the Premier League.”.
Even though he was born in England, Kukonki could feature for DR Congo because of his Congolese descent. The Congolese Football Federation has been active in reaching out to the youngster in a bid to have him pledge his international career to the central African nation. The right full-back has not been capped at any youth level by England and is therefore still available to represent either nation at full level.
The rise of Kukonki has not gone unnoticed. His performances have attracted interest from other top Premier League clubs, a fact that underlines his growing reputation within the game in England. And while he will continue his development under Manchester United’s coaching staff, it is his choice over international football that will be keenly awaited.
Manchester United will continue with their policy of grooming talent at a young age while giving players the freedom to make career choices. The club, however, will provide every avenue and assistance for Kukonki to ponder the big step into the next part of his professional career.
