Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is a big fan of Axel Tuanzebe but is willing to let Aston Villa counterpart Steve Bruce have him for a few months.
Aston Villa are closing in on their first signing of the transfer window and it will not surprise you to learn that it will be a loan deal.
Although the cash-strapped Villans are not bringing in a Leonardo Ulloa or Nahki Wells to ease the injury concerns surrounding last season’s top-scorer Jonathan Kodjia. Instead, the DailyMail reports that Steve Bruce is set to reinforce the other end of the pitch with the signing of Axel Tuanzebe from Manchester United.
The 20-year-old has played just twice for Jose Mourinho’s first-team this season and will head to Villa Park in the hope of enhancing his experience of senior football.
Tuanzebe, one of the most highly-rated youngsters to emerge from United’s famed academy system in many years, has played eight senior games for the Old Trafford giants and made his debut in the 4-0 thrashing of Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup this time last year.
The England under-21 international, who has followed in the footsteps of Giuseppe Rossi, Danny Welbeck and co by winning the prestigious Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award at United, can play at right-back, centre-half or even in defensive midfield.
Therefore, he will offer Bruce serious options in the defensive third of the park. And the prospect of learning from none other than John Terry should give Tuanzebe the hope that a short-term spell at Villa will be the launchpad for a hugely promising career.
“With Axel, ten minutes is enough! The potential is there, you see it immediately,” Mourinho told the Manchester Evening News during the summer of 2016, when he first worked with Tuanzebe during the club’s pre-season tour.
“If anyone sees him for the first time, ten minutes is enough to see the potential.”
Villa fans will hope they find out exactly what Mourinho means this month.
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