According to renowned journalist, Gianluca Di Marzio, Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe is on Napoli’s radar over a potential winter transfer. The Serie A side would opt for an initial loan deal with a view to making it permanent upon the completion of the current term.
The 24-year-old centre-half progressed through the youth ranks of the Red Devils before breaking into their senior side back in 2017. He was sent on loan to Aston Villa for first-team minutes and the former England youth international played a key role in the Villans’ promotion to Premier League defeating Derby County in the playoff final.
Although he returned to his boyhood club in July 2019, the gametime was limited under the then boss Ole Gunnar Solskjær over the next couple of campaigns. He only made 29 appearances across competitions and the Norwegian sanctioned his loan return to Villa prior to the current season. He slipped down the pecking order at Old Trafford behind Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof, however, the situation has not improved much in West Midlands with Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa being the preferred central defensive pairing under Steven Gerrard.
Why Manchester United Should Let Him Leave For Napoli
Napoli, on the other hand, enjoyed a blistering start but lost the momentum of late due to form and fitness concerns. They must step up the show to stay in the title hunt and therefore, are aiming for January reinforcements to bolster the current set-up. Tuanzebe must grab the opportunity of attaining more gametime, similar to his former teammate Chris Smalling who left Man United for AS Roma in the recent past.
United lost the plot completely under Solskjær which led to his dismissal last month. Ralf Rangnick succeeded him in an interim managerial role and the German chief would need to recall the defender in January before letting him leave for Gil Azzurri.
The Italian heavyweights have lost Kalidou Koulibaly for months with a Grade II thigh strain, whereas wantaway Kostas Manolas has returned to Olympiacos after failing to find a regular role in the heart of the backline. Juan Jesus and Amir Rrahmani have not been able to restore stability in deep defence and a first-team spot is there up for grabs if a move to Naples takes place in the upcoming winter window.
Tunazebe has not impressed enough in limited minutes to cement a place in the United lineup and a fresh start elsewhere would help him flourish his game as well as fulfil his true potential.
