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First loans are notoriously challenging for young players. They depart the security of their parent club for the first time and can frequently find themselves struggling in the most demanding professional environment they have faced. A Manchester United loanee revealed to the Manchester Evening News that the academy can resemble a “bubble”. That bubble can pop when they venture out on loan for the first time, something Sekou Kone is currently experiencing.

In the winter window, Kone was loaned to FC Lausanne-Sport for the rest of the season, with United commenting on the arrangement: “Kone will benefit from potential involvement in the UEFA Conference League.” A few days after Kone’s temporary transfer was announced, he was excluded from Lausanne’s squad for the Conference League.

Although he still accompanied the team when they travelled to the Czech Republic. “We want him to integrate into the group,” stressed Lausanne manager Peter Zeidler.

Lausanne exited at the play-off stage of the competition, so Kone didn’t miss out on much, but it wasn’t an endorsement for the youngster, whose spell in Switzerland hasn’t progressed as United had hoped thus far.

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Kone impressed during the post-season tour in May and made the trip to the United States for pre-season, but he has managed just four substitute appearances for Lausanne and was taken off at half-time in his sole start.

On paper, the loan ticked a lot of boxes. United have cultivated a strong relationship with Lausanne since INEOS assumed control of football operations, with academy staff making visits to their training complex, and Kone was afforded the opportunity to train with the Swiss side prior to joining on loan.

The midfielder spent time with Lausanne to assess whether the arrangement would be mutually beneficial. That trial period proved fruitful, yet it has not translated into regular pitch time for Kone.

It has been a testing campaign for Kone, who suffered a fractured eye socket when he made his first appearance of the season for the Under-21s against Tamworth in August.

Kone received treatment in an ambulance and the fixture was subsequently abandoned. A replacement ambulance was required and the resulting delay forced the match to be called off. The youngster spent the night in hospital before being discharged the following morning.

The Mali youth international returned to action in November and completed his first full 90 minutes of the season against Borussia Dortmund at Old Trafford before Christmas, setting the stage for a loan departure.

Kone effectively missed the opening half of the season through injury, and he faces a different kind of battle in the second half of the campaign as he looks to cement his place in Lausanne’s starting line-up.

United staff maintain that there is no such thing as a bad loan, as a young player will invariably learn something from the experience, regardless of how much game time they receive. Kone will likely be relieved to put this particular season behind him, however.

What lies ahead for Kone remains uncertain. United paid £1million to acquire him from Guidars FC two years ago, making it a low-risk signing with potentially significant rewards.

The ideal outcome is that Kone matures into a player capable of filling the Casemiro role in the first team. The less favourable outcome is that he fails to meet the required standard and is moved on, ideally at a profit.

United academy chief Stephen Torpey was recently quizzed about nurturing defensive midfielders at the club. “They’re all different. They might wear the number six on the back, but the way they play it might be different for each player,” he told the MEN.

“There are elements that we’ve got to be careful with. Jim Thwaites’ style is different from Sekou’s, which is okay. It’s about recognising what we do and how we ask people to play the position within that set-up.

“And then what we do daily on the training field, what is the content of training, what is the individual work that they’re doing, what is the assessment and the clips that we’re going through.

“Sometimes these boys have some weaknesses that are maybe unacceptable to get them to the first team. We’ve got to make sure they’re a number one priority for us to eradicate and mitigate the risk of that.

“But let’s not forget about what they’re really good at because that’s what’s going to make them stand out. That’s what makes all of you guys know about them.

“The deficiencies are out there as well and every single player has them. We’ve got to recognise whether some of those deficiencies are acceptable or unacceptable and they’ll be preventative.”

Upon Kone’s arrival in Manchester, his primary weakness was his physical conditioning. He was assigned a gym programme to develop muscle mass, while United arranged English lessons to speed up his language acquisition.

Travis Binnion (former U21 manager, now part of the first-team coaching staff) and Tommy Rowe (former U21 player-coach, now Under-15 lead coach) even undertook French lessons to better communicate with Kone.

The subsequent phase involved coaching Kone to enhance his positional understanding, instructing him when to maintain discipline as a defensive midfielder and when it was permissible to advance forward. In certain early matches, he became overly enthusiastic and found himself near the opposition’s penalty area.

There remains considerable work for Kone to complete before reaching the first team.