Fabrizio Romano reports that Manchester United are set to release defender Axel Tuanzebe on a free transfer this summer with his contract ending in June – months after Leeds United considered a deadline-day move for him.
Tuanzebe, 25, finds himself a bit of a stand still in his career. Over the course of the past four seasons, Tuanzebe has managed just 47 professional appearances. Mostly, for Manchester United. But for three loan clubs, too.
Last season, he played just 11 times – nine times for Villa and then twice for Napoli. In January, having failed to play a single game for Manchester United during the first half of the season, he was sent on loan to Stoke – but it failed.
He managed just five outings. With Leeds allowing Diego Llorente to move to Roma in January, the Whites quickly tried to find a replacement on the final day of the window. Phil Hay said Leeds were offered Tuanzebe on a loan.
The club considered it, but chose against it – and Tuanzebe moved to Stoke, where he struggled. Now, Romano reports that the £48k-a-week defender will be made a free agent this summer, when his Old Trafford deal expires.
Manchester United to release Tuanzebe after Leeds considered move
The chances of Leeds going back in for Tuanzebe seem small, given he was only ever considered as a desperate late replacement for Llorente. But, if the club do suffer relegation and he is available on a free, perhaps we could.
Tuanzebe needs to find himself a new home and reignite the form that saw him play a huge part in Aston Villa’s promotion back to the Premier League. The kind of form that saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer once make him captain.
Plenty of potential there, but it was never going to happen at Old Trafford. The likelihood is this summer that he joins a Championship club and it might be one Leeds consider, having taken a look back in the January window.
