A recent post on the official website of Manchester United confirmed that defender Axel Tuanzebe has completed a loan move to Italian side Napoli for the second half of the 2021/22 season.
‘Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe has joined Serie A side Napoli on loan until the end of the 2021/22 season.’ – The report stated.
The loan deal for the 24-year-old centre-back does not include an obligation to buy, as per reports from ESPN. United will receive an initial loan fee of £500,000 for Tuanzebe’s services, which could rise to £1 million with potential bonus payments.
Good Move For Both Parties?
Having featured just twenty-eight times over the course of the last two seasons under the stewardship of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and with Raphael Varane’s arrival, Tuanzebe’s path to regular first-team football was blocked entirely.
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As a result, he opted for a season-long loan move to Premier League side Aston Villa this summer, the club he had helped win promotion to the top-flight via the Championship playoffs in the 2018/19 season. The Englishman made a solid start to the season under Dean Smith’s guidance, with 11 appearances (8 starts) across all competitions; however, Steven Gerrard’s appointment drastically pushed him down the pecking order at Villa Park.
Nonetheless, he managed to put up some impressive numbers on the board this season as he averaged 0.7 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 1.6 clearances, 1.8 long balls, and 0.5 blocks per 90 minutes across all competitions (calculated over 11 appearances). Although the Under-21 England international is a bit error-prone at the back, there’s no doubt about the vast array of defensive abilities he possesses.
Tuanzebe’s present contract at Old Trafford runs until 2023 with the option of a one-year extension, so the club is in no hurry to cash in on him. As a result, we firmly believe that this overseas loan move would help him continue with his development.
Napoli are currently sitting third in the Serie A table, just five points behind Stefano Pioli’s AC Milan. Besides, they have progressed through to the Europa League knockout stages and now face Barcelona in the round of 32.
Hence, the Englishman will be fighting for some of the biggest honours in the world of football. At 24, Tuanzebe has a lot to offer, and if Luciano Spalletti fields him to his strengths, he might as well help the Neapolitans secure their first Serie A title in 32 years.
(Stats from WhoScored)
