Even though Ole Gunnar Solksjaer and Harry Maguire both referred to Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe as a leader, it wasn’t enough to keep him from having a successful long-term career at Old Trafford.
Even though Manchester United has used a number of dubious transfer advisors in recent years, the situation surrounding Axel Tuanzebe is nevertheless peculiar.
Currently, Ipswich Town, a Championship team hoping to return to the top flight next season, fields the defence. Though the 26-year-old’s stock seemed to be constantly high until he was granted permission to go permanently, the majority of his career was spent on the books of the Red Devils.
Tuanzebe’s ability was never in doubt; any United young coach worth their salt will tell you that he possessed it in spades. But staying fit was a whole other story; the defender frequently saw any momentum he had gained derailed by yet another time on the sidelines.
It was heartbreaking to see a bright young player who had been predicted to achieve such great things sidelined for such a long period. When Tuanzebe won United’s coveted Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2015, he joined the likes of Ryan Giggs, Danny Welbeck, and Marcus Rashford; many thought he was the next big thing.
Harry Maguire, a former captain of the team, seems to concur. Speaking in 2021, prior to Tuanzebe’s eventual departure, the England international gave the current Ipswich ace high marks for his evaluation.
Maguire clarified, “We have a lot of senior pros and leaders in the dressing room.” Furthermore, being a leader doesn’t require you to be a senior pro. When it comes to his actions and words in the changing room, Axel is a leader. Furthermore, he is still a young boy and is still learning his craft. He will undoubtedly have an incredible career in the future.
Maguire wasn’t the only person to feel this way about Tuanzebe; Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the former United manager and club legend, showered the defender with praise after crowning him the team’s youngest captain in a Carabao Cup match in 2019.
“Axel is a leader and a future captain. Why not give it to small children? Solskjaer inquired about the United captaincy on talkSPORT. “What is his approach to it? He liked it, so he was good. It’s merely a means of conveying to him our confidence.”
The United academy alumnus signed with Stoke City on the final day of the January transfer window of the previous year, but his six-month loan stint at the bet365 Stadium was marked by little success.
After Tuanzebe’s United contract expired last summer, he signed a 12-month contract with the Tractor Boys. With just six league appearances this season, he has struggled to get into the first squad at Portman Road.