Manchester United News: Axel Tuanzebe appears set to return to Manchester United. The defender’s loan with Napoli didn’t go well as expected.
With injuries haunting his stint in Serie A, the defender has only made two appearances since joining the Italian giants in the January transfer window.
Tuanzebe is poised to return to Manchester United at the conclusion of the season. According to Corriere dello Sport Napoli is on the lookout for a new centre-back. They are being linked with Southampton’s Jan Bednarek and Mohamed Salisu.
The Carrington graduate has only one year left on his contract at Old Trafford. The 24-year-old will try to impress the new Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag upon his return. Tuanzebe also has one more chance to live up to former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s prediction.
Manchester United news: Lot of loan spells for Tuanzebe
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Tuanzebe had a successful loan spell at Aston Villa. The central defender was a key member of Dean Smith’s team. He helped Villa gain promotion to the Premier League. The academy graduate burst into the first-team picture early in the 2019-20 season.
Tuanzebe quickly earned Solskjaer’s trust, earning the captaincy for a League Cup triumph over Rochdale, the place where he grew up after migrating from the Democratic Republic of Congo at the age of four.
What did Solskjaer have to say about Tuanzebe?
“Axel is a captain in the making, he’s a leader,” the ex-Red Devils boss said after the match. He was selected over talents like Paul Pogba and Sergio Romero.
“Why not trust the captaincy to a group of young kids? We know we can give it to Sergio and Paul without an issue but today it was Axel’s turn. He did well and he was having a good time. It’s merely a way of expressing our confidence in him.”
Tuanzebe may come to regret cutting short his second loan with Villa. He has played only 130 minutes of football during his injury-plagued tenure in Naples.
What did Tuanzebe’s agent have to say?
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Following Smith’s sacking in November, the player’s agent slammed the Liverpool legend. He claimed that new manager Steven Gerrard wanted him just as the substitute.
“Axel didn’t decide to transfer until it became evident that he wasn’t the manager’s first-choice centre-back, and the Napoli offer was quite enticing,” his brother Dimitri Tuanzebe told ESPN.
“When it comes to Axel’s time at Villa, I have a lot of mixed feelings. He is well-liked by the supporters. He played a vital role in Villa’s promotion to the Premier League from the Championship. Axel was one of the key players and he never wanted to leave.”
“The arrival of Steven Gerrard at Villa Park changed things for Axel. He seemed to put the rivalry between Man United and Liverpool in between.”
