Manchester United were forced into a last-minute matchday squad change for last Saturday’s FA Cup final after Casemiro withdrew due to injury concerns.
As such, Willy Kambwala was called upon to replace the Brazilian, despite there being little need for another centre-half on the bench; Lisandro Martinez partnered Raphael Varane for the Frenchman’s last game, while Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans were also available on the sidelines to be called upon if need be.
Although Kambwala remained an unused substitute throughout the tie, his two appearances in the third and fourth rounds of the competition ensured that he claimed a winners’ medal along with his teammates.
Read more: What Rasmus Hojlund did immediately after winning FA Cup will warm United fans’ hearts
Kambwala’s late attempts to rally the travelling Reds
MUTV pundit Sam Homewood shared a touching story of what he saw the young Red do in the closing stages of the match at Wembley, as United were leaving everything on the pitch to ensure they got over the line despite Jeremy Doku’s late goal to make it 2-1.
He said in the latest podcast episode: “For the last seven minutes or so, when it was getting nervy, he [Kambwala] came down to warm up with no intention of getting on. He was just trying to get the crowd going. All he was doing was trying to start songs towards the crowd to be enthusiastic and not nervous.”
