Sunderland's next opponents Cardiff City confirm signing of ex-Man Utd academy star

Cardiff City have completed the signing of teenage forward Sekou Kaba ahead of their Championship clash with Sunderland this weekend.

The Bluebirds travel to the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon, and will be looking to bounce back from a midweek defeat at the hands of Burnley as they aim to put more distance between themselves and the relegation zone. Away from the battle for survival, however, the Welsh club have bolstered their ranks with a swoop for 17-year-old starlet Kaba. The emerging talent is described as a “quick and direct” attacker in a statement from the Bluebirds confirming his arrival. It is also stated that he will sign a professional contract with Omer Riza’s men, and that he will predominantly link up with their U21s squad.

Kaba was most recently on the books at Manchester United, and speaking about his decision to sign for Cardiff, he said: "It's a brilliant club with amazing fans. I can't wait to get started and I'm very happy to be here. I can't really describe the feeling, it's a great day for me and my family. I'm excited to meet my teammates and play in front of the fans. These kind of days are huge. When the opportunity comes, you just have to enjoy the moment. I'm very excited to sign for the club."

While Kaba is unlikely to feature against Sunderland at the weekend, one Cardiff player who the Black Cats may have to be wary of is Yousef Salech. The Danish striker has been in fine form since signing for the club in January and was on the score sheet for a fourth time in nine Championship outings during the Bluebirds’ defeat at the hands of Burnley on Tuesday.

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Speaking after that match, Cardiff boss Riza said: "Put it this way, when I wanted to sign him, the message [from the board] was, 'This is on you. Is he at the level to step up to the Championship? Is he going to be able to do this? Or do that?' "I said, 'Look, I'm telling you what he's going to do' and so far, touch wood, he is doing that. I always say, live by the sword, die by the sword, let's hope it continues. I don't want to put too much pressure on him. We've got other players like Robbo up there who can score goals, that's their job.

"He was good today, Yousef, he was strong, won his headers and first and second balls, he tried to bring the ball in. He created opportunities and scored an opportunity. I'm really happy with him.”

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