Axel Tuanzebe has just recovered from a long-term injury but his time as a Manchester United player is in long-term doubt.
Axel Tuanzebe in training at Manchester United (Image: Man Utd)
Axel Tuanzebe was one of Manchester United’s best academy prospects, popular with staff and players alike. The Englishman was unfortunately struck with a long-term injury which has left the player unavailable for over six months now.
The unlucky defender has had four major injuries over the span of his short playing career, amassing over 500 days missed through injury, which involves over 80 matches that he was unable to play in. His bad luck with injuries means that, despite being 25 years old, he only has a total of 85 first-team appearances in his career.
Tuanzebe has been an exciting name in the mind of many United fans and many still loyally and rightly support the defender to this day. But after two unsuccessful loan spells to Aston Villa and Napoli last season, with just 13 appearances for them both, the future looks unclear as a United player – even though he has shown undeniable talent.
Back in 2018, Tuanzebe had a prosperous time at Aston Villa on loan. His first spell with the club ended up as his best campaign in terms of playing time as he made 27 appearances in one season – which is just over a third of his total career appearances. The centre half showed that he had the ability to be a solid defender and his defensive prowess helped take Villa to the playoff final, which they won.
Villa fans were highly supportive of the player and even sang his name while he was playing for them. His balance and unwavering composure in the back line were very impressive, both to United and Villa.
Once he returned to United in 2019, there were several attempts to bring Tuanzebe back to Villa on a permanent basis, but Dean Smith could not make the deal stick. Now though, Tuanzebe faces the challenge of taking his career further. His time at United has been unfortunate, but he has shown that he has what it takes to be a good player and another fulfilling loan could help him achieve that.
Loan moves are usually the best way to get a player back on their feet with some regular football. One of his best moments for United was his performance in the 2-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. He dropped a great performance against Kylian Mbappe.
Recently there were rumours that Watford were showing interest in the player, and if they were to pick Tuanzebe up on a temporary basis, United fans would be happy to see their former prodigy move forward in his career.
At the age of 25, there is certainly a lot of time left to make a name for himself, and if he gains some fortune with injuries, he may do just that.
Source: dailylifeworld.com
