Manchester United’s Axel Tuanzebe Has Hallmarks of Eric Bailly and Javi Martinez

Manchester United pride themselves on youth production, with the records associated with their consistent focus on bringing academy players into the first team well known. As MailOnline noted, there has been a graduate in every Red Devils matchday squad stretching back as far as 1937. 

Concerns were voiced about this record perhaps being broken after Jose Mourinho took the reins at the club this summer, and while Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard should keep it intact for this season at least, there will be many fearing this proud tradition may be curtailed during the Portuguese’s reign.

This, of course, magnifies the focus on United’s current youth team, with fans looking to it with the hope that another magnificent talent like Rashford will rise, placing minds at ease. The knowledge that this kid will likely have to be really good to convince Mourinho to trust him is widespread, creating a desperation among the supporters for Nicky Butt’s youth setup to produce another star. 

That star, it seems, might just be present in Axel Tuanzebe. The Democratic Republic of Congo-born defender has risen through the age groups quickly at United, and he earned the captain’s armband at under-18 level the moment he was eligible. “It was the first time I’d picked a first-year scholar as captain,” former academy coach Paul McGuinness told the Manchester Evening News (h/t the Mirror).

The coaches love his personality, his leadership skills and his on-pitch talents. Mourinho has had his head turned too, and gave Tuanzebe a run-out during United’s pre-season victory over Wigan Athletic. It was only seven minutes (plus stoppage time), but it was a big seven minutes with regard to cementing his status as the biggest talent bubbling under the surface for the club.

Aerial Prowess 

A shade over 6’0″ at just 18 years of age, Tuanzebe towers over most youth players and has between two and three years left of growth in him. He has a surprisingly slim frame, but that doesn’t stop him rising early and high to dominate aerially.

Granted, when stepping up to a professional level he will need to pack on a certain amount of weight to compete; training alongside someone as strong as Zlatan Ibrahimovic will illuminate just how far he has to go before being able to match up against the best.

But unless you’re a Kurt Zouma-esque prodigy, this is natural for an 18-year-old. Over the next three years he’ll get taller and fill out, enabling him to transfer his aerial …

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