Youl Mawéné

Youl Mawéné

Personal information
Full name	Youl Mawéné
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Preston North End
Number	5

Youl Mawéné (born 16 July 1979) is a French footballer currently playing for Preston North End. He usually plays as a central defender.

Football career

Mawéné started his career at Lens, where he played an important part in side which was reached the semi-finals of the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup.

In the summer of 2000, Derby County signed Mawéné for £500,000. He played 60 games for the Rams, scoring one goal. In 2003/04 he was Derby's Player of the Season.

In the summer of 2004, at the end of his contract with Derby, Mawéné moved to Preston on a free transfer. This was despite a bid from Championship rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers, for whom he had played three trial games during that summer.

An ever-present in his debut season, he formed a strong partnership with Chris Lucketti. His good form that year was rewarded with the Player of the Season award. In 2005/06 he formed another strong partnership with Claude Davis as Preston reached the play-offs for the second season in a row.

Mawéné tore cruciate and medial knee ligaments in a pre-season match against Manchester United at Deepdale and missed the entire 2006/07 season. [1] Pronounced fit in June 2007, he has since returned to the first team, with only suspensions and a brief spell on the sidelines around Christmas time preventing him from being an ever present in the side.

External links

• Youl Mawéné player profile at pnefc.net
• Youl Mawene at Soccerbase