Aston Villa have completed the signing of Manchester United’s young gun Axel Tuanzebe on a season-long loan deal. The 20-year-old rejoined the Championship outfit after making 5 appearances for them last season before an ankle injury ended his campaign.
Tuanzebe emerged through the youth ranks of Manchester United and is one of the hottest properties in English football. He has made 8 senior appearances for his parent side and has also represented England’s Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 teams.
The Right Step For His Development
Jose Mourinho has a good stock of central defenders in his arsenal, with Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Victor Lindelof and Marcos Rojo set to compete for places in the starting line-up this season. Had he stayed with the Red Devils, he would have received negligible time on the pitch.
Therefore, a temporary spell away from the Old Trafford should do wonders for Tuanzebe, and will also allow Mourinho to check his capabilities. In the pre-season games, he looked commendable. He was a part of Manchester United’s squad for the United States and also featured against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Sunday.
What Will He Offer Aston Villa?
Tuanzebe is a modern-day centre-back who is comfortable in playing the ball out from the back quite comfortably. Despite being relatively young, he has shown immense maturity and calmness in catering to his duties. He is hardly seen committing needless fouls owing to his sharp skills of reading the game.
He has raw pace in his legs which enables him to catch opposition’s attacker. He passes the ball in a shrewd manner and often starts the attacking endeavours for his side from the back. With the ability to organize the back line, he has also shown the traits of a leader on a number of occasions.
The English Under-21 international is versatile as well as he is capable of plying his trade as a right-back too. He has the ingredients necessary to be a world-class defender in a few years down the line. He is an intelligent package and possesses excellent positional awareness.
A Necessary Signing For Steve Bruce
The Villans are definitely one of the sides which will look for promotion to the Premier League. They needed a centre-back to introduce competition for the likes of James Chester, Tommy Elphick and Micah Richards for a place in Steve Bruce’s starting line-up, and with the signing of Tuanzebe, they have certainly got what they needed.