Axel Tuanzebe left Manchester United to complete a loan switch to Stoke City on transfer deadline day in a move that went somewhat under the radar at Old Trafford.
United fans were focused on the arrival of Marcel Sabitzer on a loan deal from Bayern Munich after a last-minute transfer deadline day dash. The low-profile exit of Tuanzebe is a reflection of a career that has yet to reach its massive potential but one where time may still be on his side.
The defender captained United across multiple youth teams and was regarded as a future first-team player at Old Trafford from an early age. Tuanzebe has played 37 matches for the Red Devils and became the club's youngest-ever captain in an EFL Cup clash in 2019.
The defender's leadership qualities are clear to his teammates with club captain Harry Maguire praising his capacity for this characteristic. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this endorsement is also shared by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Norwegian was the boss for 29 of Tuanzebe's first-team appearances and was responsible for making the DR Congo-born defender for that cup clash.
"Axel is a captain in the making, he's a leader. Why not give it to young kids?" Solskjaer explained on talkSPORT of the United captaincy after his decision. "How does he handle it? He was absolutely fine, he enjoyed it. It’s just a way of telling him that we trust him."
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Speaking after Tuanzebe's brilliant display versus Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League group stage in October 2020, he added: "I'm pleased for him. Now, it's about getting consistency in his performances, he's got to stay injury-free but I think he can kick on, he's a leader.
"He can play right-back, centre-back, midfield. He's a boy who takes responsibility for his own development and he's doing everything he can to have a long career at United and get that consistency."
Tuanzebe played 19 matches in that 2020-21 campaign, his most prominent at United – sandwiched between multiple loan spells away. But Solskjaer's comments concur with those of Maguire, who played alongside him in United's defence.
"We have a lot of leaders in the dressing room, a lot of senior pros," he said in 2021. "And you don't have to be a senior pro to be a leader. Axel is a leader, in the ways that he works and speaks in the dressing room.
"And he's only a young boy, he's still learning his trade. I'm sure he'll go on to have an unbelievable career."
Tuanzebe made 11 appearances in the first half of last season on loan at Aston Villa before spending the remainder of the campaign at Napoli, where he played only twice. He will now be hoping to enjoy a prolonged run of first-team games in the Championship, where he previously impressed with Villa.
