One-time Sheffield United transfer target suffers horror injury in historic World Cup victory
Ismaël Koné, who was once a target for Sheffield United, was forced off in Canada’s 6-0 win over Qatar.
Former Sheffield United transfer target Ismaël Koné suffered a horror leg injury in Canada’s historic 6-0 win over Qatar at the World Cup on Thursday, leaving everyone watching distressed.
Koné, who held talks with United about the prospect of a move to Bramall Lane in the summer of 2022, was forced off just over ten minutes into the second half of Canada’s first ever World Cup victory after being caught by Qatar’s Assim Omer Madibo.
The Canadian midfielder immediately went to ground, covering his mouth with his hand, meaning he instantly knew it was a serious injury. He was immediately attended to by the medical staff and Assim Madibo was visibly upset, recognising Koné was in distress.
The 29-year-old was initially shown a yellow card before VAR upgraded it to a red. Koné left the pitch on a stretcher, requiring oxygen, but he was sitting up and was able to give a thumbs up to the fans inside the BC Place Vancouver.
Canada boss Jesse Marsch, who has guided his side to four points from their opening two Group B matches, said post-match: "It was right in front of us, and everyone could hear the bone snap. I haven't spoken to Ismaël yet, but he's at the hospital. He will prepare for surgery.
"Everybody's a little shaken by the whole experience because of the nature of the injury, and also because Ismael is a big part of the heart of our team. It will be a big loss for us."
The Sassuolo midfielder, 24, was lined up as a target for the Blades four years ago amid the prospect of them losing Sander Berge. Interest was rife in the Norwegian throughout the 2022 summer transfer window after United had missed out on promotion to the Premier League at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
Koné was lined up as Berge’s replacement and he travelled to Montreal airport on deadline day in anticipation of flying to England to join the Blades. However, Berge stayed at Bramall Lane and Koné ended up joining Watford in January 2023.
Addressing United’s interest in the midfielder in December 2022, the former Blades boss said: “He’s someone you guys all know about and we spoke to him in the summer. We were looking to do something but financially we could only do it if we sold players.
“I didn’t want to sell but I knew there was a possibility. What could have been.”