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Thursday 21 November 2024 13:29
In just over five years working for Manchester United, I’ve done hundreds of interviews with dozens of players.
I’ll always remember the first, though, and Axel Tuanzebe was a genuine pleasure to speak to – insightful and intelligent, the defender belied his young age and was, I felt at the time, a potential United captain of the future.
A few weeks earlier, the DR Congo-born Rochdalian had led United out of the tunnel for a Carabao Cup clash with his hometown club, becoming our youngest skipper since Norman Whiteside in the 1980s.
Leadership seemed to be something that came naturally to Axel, even at 21.
“I think growing up, a lot of the lads looked up to me,” he said. “I always wanted to do what was right, I think that’s kind of been with me all my life.”
Having been slowly introduced to the senior set-up by Jose Mourinho, our 2015 Young Player of the Year looked set to make the next step and establish himself in the side at the start of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first full term in the dugout.
It seemed inevitable for a classy player who was strong, quick, technically gifted and could play across the backline.
Watch Axel’s memorable performance against Kylian Mbappe and PSG in 2020.
Fresh from helping Aston Villa win promotion back to the big time, Axel was handed significant starts by Ole, in big Premier League and European games, but injury struck at just the wrong time, with hip and hamstring issues curtailing his season well before the Covid pandemic hit.
It was the start of a hugely difficult few years for Tuanzebe.
Although he was able to return in fits and bursts during the 2020/21 campaign – including a magnificent showing in the Parc des Princes, where he stymied Kylian Mbappe in a Champions League group-stage tie – it never again felt like he was a potential first-choice.
A loan return to Villa, and then spells with Napoli and Stoke City, failed to provide those much-needed minutes on the pitch amid a troubling back injury.
At the age of 25, Axel had fewer than 100 senior appearances to his name when he departed United on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.
Eighteen months on, it will be great to see him again as he rekindles his relationship with United, this time as a member of the opposition.
Tuanzebe has become a valuable part of this Ipswich squad since reuniting with former coach Kieran McKenna last September, initially on a 12-month basis.
Introduced slowly to a side that was still in the ascendance having escaped League One, Axel forced his way into McKenna’s starting XI from February onwards, as the Tractor Boys ploughed through the division to claim another promotion.
The United graduate was offered another year-long deal and, despite missing a couple of games recently due to a freak hand injury that required surgery, he can now finally class himself as a top-flight fixture.
Axel has even made his international bow, debuting for DR Congo in June.
Axel has made 28 appearances for The Tractor Boys, scoring one goal.
It’s further proof to our current Academy lads that, to have a successful career in football, you don’t need to be a Manchester United mainstay.
Everywhere you look in the Premier League there are similar examples. Tuanzebe’s former team-mates Anthony Elanga and Andreas Pereira are rising with the tide at buoyant Nottingham Forest and Fulham respectively, while Tahith Chong, James Garner and Teden Mengi have also clocked up significant top-flight minutes since departing Old Trafford.
For every Marcus Rashford, there’s a Danny Welbeck and that’s without touching upon the countless United alumni who ply their trade throughout the English leagues and further afield.
Wherever they might be, there is immense satisfaction from those within the club at seeing what they go on to achieve.
“Our Academy players might leave and go on to join other clubs or pursue other things in life,” said our head of Academy, Nick Cox, when another graduate, Angel Gomes, made his England debut.
“We will never stop following their progress and drawing pride from their achievements.”
It will no doubt be a significant moment for Axel if he plays on Sunday, against the club that discovered, nurtured and blooded him.
He’s had to take a different route to become a regular in the world’s most talked-about league but, having turned 27 last week, it’s heartening to see Tuanzebe finally arriving at what he believes is his intended destination.
“You want to visualise where you want to be, but, over my career, I’ve learnt that if you work hard day-by-day then football will bring you where you’re supposed to be,” he said earlier this year. “It will place you in the position you were always meant to be.
“Unfortunately, my career thus far has been plagued with injuries, but I’m not going to dwell on that and feel sorry for myself. I’m going to get up and get working again.
“I’m still able to play. I’ve not had to retire. I know players who have had to do that. I’m fit, I’m healthy and I’ll keep fighting.”
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Thursday 21 November 2024 13:29
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