Man United Defender Axel Tuanzebe Joins Stoke City On Six-month Loan

Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe joined Championship side Stoke City on loan till the end of the season on the deadline day of the January transfer window. The Potters are lingering at the 19th position in the table and signing the English defender could help them stable their ship.

The move to Stoke City will be the fifth loan spell for Axel Tuanzebe since rising through the ranks of the United academy. He has not made a single appearance for the Red Devils this season because of the depth the team currently have in the centre-back role.

Axel Tuanzebe, Manchester United, Stoke City — Image Obtained Via The Telegraph

The 25-year-old has some experience of playing in the Championship with Aston Villa. He has spent three loan spells with Villa, of which two were in the second-division. He was also sent on loan to Napoli for a brief period but failed to impress while in Italy. It is now upon him to help the Potters rise up in the Championship table.

Manchester United confirmed the departure of Axel Tuanzebe to Stoke City on their official website after the deal was signed. He has a contract with the Red Devils till June 2023 and will be spending the last six months at the Bet365 stadium. It looks like the Man United chapter is closed for the defender and a permanent move in the summer looks imminent.

➡️ Axel Tuanzebe has joined Stoke City on loan for the remainder of 2022/23.

Good luck, Ax 💪#MUFC

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 1, 2023

The England international did turn up when Man United played PSG in the group stage of the Champions League in 2020-2021. It was a crucial game for the Red Devils and the 25-year-old did a brilliant job of containing Kylian Mbappe. It looked as if it was the start of Tuanzebe at United. However, his inconsistencies did not help his case.

Will Manchester United Miss Axel Tuanzebe In The Future?

Axel Tuanzebe has been a senior Manchester United player for the past six years since he advanced from the youth team. However, he has only made 37 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions (stats via Transfermarkt).

United had enough belief in him to give him a professional contract and keep him at the club, hoping that his loan stints would materialise into fruition. However, he has failed to even get a place on the bench at Old Trafford this season. The centre-back might have to look for a solution to his situation at a different club.

The Red Devils already have four established centre-backs in the squad, and it looks like his loan move to the Bet365 Stadium is going to be a permanent goodbye to his teammates at the Theatre of Dreams.

Axel Tuanzebe will have to shine at Stoke City to get a permanent contract from a good club. The Potters are counting on him to fill the void left by the new Leicester City signing Harry Souttar. This is what manager Alex Neil had to say about signing the defender on loan:

“It was important that we added to our defensive resources and Axel is a player who knows the Championship and is keen to test himself at this level again.”

Man United are in a much better position than what they were last season. They have improved their defence immensely after making a few alterations and most importantly, after the introduction of Casemiro. So, it is natural that the Red Devils will be indifferent to not seeing Tuanzebe in a United shirt again.

The 25-year-old has failed to make an impression on the United fans and the board. He will have to overcome his inconsistency to continue to play in the top-flight. He does have the potential to do that but needs a few extra steps before his career reaches its maximum potential.

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