United boss Chris Beech confirmed that tonight’s game at Penrith will provide an opportunity for trialist Manasse Mampala to get game time having already enjoyed a fortnight of pre-season training with the club.
Mampala, 20, was born in Kinshasa, in DR Congo, and move to England at the age of two. A tall, strong forward he joined the Everton Academy as a 15-year-old and became a regular in the under-23 squad.
He was part of the team that romped their way to league and cup success under David Unsworth during the 2018/19 campaign.
He featured in the EFL Trophy games against Mansfield and Burton for the Toffees early in 2019 and joined QPR on a one-season contract shortly after he’d made those appearances.
Manager Chris Beech said: “We’ve had two or three lads in over the course of the past few weeks.
“David [Holdsworth] ran a bit of a trial spell at the end of last season and there were some good players within that. Gav Skelton came in and kept his eye on that, and there were some who did well and who we felt were worth a look within our sessions.
“One of those was up here for a few days last week but, with him, we don’t think he’ll make us better at this point. Hopefully he’ll get fixed up somewhere else.
“Of the three lads who have been here we have Manasse who will stay with us through tonight and possibly Saturday to play some games with us. If he does well we can then look at what’s round the corner for him next."