Manchester United academy product Axel Tuanzebe has signed a new contract, that will keep him at the club till the summer of 2022.
Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe has put pen to a new three-year contract with the club, extending his stay at Old Trafford till 2022, the Red Devils announced on their official website.
Tuanzebe has been with Manchester United since the age of eight and has been held in very high regard within the club. The 21-year-old made his senior debut for the 20-time English champions in January 2017 under then-manager Jose Mourinho in a FA Cup tie against Wigan Athletic.
A year later, Tuanzebe was shipped out on a six-month loan spell to then-EFL Championship outfit Aston Villa, post which the England Under-21 international joined the Villans on another temporary spell for the entirety of the 2018-19 campaign. The defender impressed heavily for Dean Smith’s side, helping them earn promotion to the Premier League.
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This announcement— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 5, 2019
Now that he is back with Manchester United for their pre-season tour ahead of the 2019-20 season, Tuanzebe has committed his long-term future to the club, penning a new contract. The new deal sees the DR Congo-born English footballer extend his stay with United till 2022, with the club retaining the option of extending his stay by a further twelve months.
Upon the announcement of the extension, Tuanzebe said, “I have grown up at Manchester United and it has always been a big part of my life and my family’s life. I appreciate the trust that the club has in me and I want to repay that with my performances on the pitch.”
“I know I have a lot of hard work and learning ahead of me but the experience I gained throughout last season puts me in good stead for the future ahead. I am determined to give everything and show everyone the player that I can be. I can’t wait for the tour to get started and to see what the upcoming season brings.”
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also expressed his pleasure at the contract extension, saying, “Axel is a great example of the type of player that has come through the Manchester United system. He is humble, hard-working, talented and a team player.”
“He had a successful time on loan with Aston Villa and has gained a lot of experience from that spell, which ended in promotion to the Premier League. He will come on the pre-season tour with us which will help his development further.”
Tuanzebe’s contract extension comes on the back of Manchester United securing the futures of two more jewels to have come through their academy, with Marcus Rashford and Andreas Pereira both signing new contracts.
The 21-year-old will travel with the squad on their pre-season tour of Australasia where he will get the opportunity to impress the manager and earn a place in the first-team setup for next season. But, with Aston Villa interested in Tuanzebe, another loan spell could very well be on the cards, especially if Manchester United bring in new defensive reinforcements.
