Manchester United loanee Axel Tuanzebe has been on the sidelines for Aston Villa since December.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has confirmed that Axel Tuanzebe is currently at Manchester United and will begin ‘light work’ to step up his progress from injury.
The 21-year-old centre-back, who is on loan from Old Trafford, injured his foot in December, prior to his side’s 3-2 defeat to Championship leaders Leeds United.
Ahead of Villa’s home clash against Ipswich on Saturday, Smith explained why Tuanzebe is at the Premier League club as he talked about his rehabilitation process.
“Axel is still up at Man Utd,” Smith told the club’s official website. “He’s had the boot removed now. He will start some light work in his rehabilitation before he comes back down to Aston Villa.
“We’ll be guided by Man Utd in his rehabilitation. The doctor is keeping in touch with them quite regularly. We look forward to him being back because he was a big player for us during that really good run.”
When Tuanzebe initially joined Villa in the summer, he was played at right-back by the now-sacked Steve Bruce before Smith’s arrival in October saw him restored to his natural position.
Since then, then the Manchester United loanee has become a key player for Smith at the heart of the club’s defence, showcasing his ability to bring the ball out from the back and out-muscle opposition attackers.
In the seven matches that Tuanzebe has missed, Villa have conceded 14 goals and recorded only one win in all competitions as their hopes of finishing in the playoff places are fading.
Over the course of the campaign, the highly-rated defender has played 19 league games for Villa, helping them secure four clean sheets.
In his absence, the likes of James Bree, Tommy Elphick and Kortney Hause have partnered captain James Chester at the heart of the club’s defence.
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