Axel Tuanzebe will say farewell to Manchester United this summer, upon the expiry of his current contract.
The defєɴԀer has been a Red since he joined the Academy at the age of eight, and has captained the club at every level, eventually finishing up with 37 senior appearances between 2017 and 2021.
Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, before moving to Rochdale as a young boy, he quickly established himself as a powerful, skilful and an authoritative leader at Carrington, winning the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2014/15 and then scooping the Denzil Haroun Reserve-Team Player of the Year prize in 2016/17.
That latter season also bɾօυɢҺt his competitive debut for the first team, when he came on as a substitute during a 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
His career ignited during the second of two loan spells with then-Championship club Aston Villa, as he helped the Midlanders to promotion during the 2018/19 campaign.
He was a near ever-present for manager Dean Smith, and played the entirety of the play-off final victory over Derby County that sealed the Villa Park club’s Premier League status.
The following season he returned to M16, and was memorably selected to captain the side in a Carabao Cup tie against Rochdale.
Mike Phelan, then assistant manager to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, delivered the news to Tuanzebe – still only 21 years old – shortly before the game.
“Dreams do come true,” he admitted to club media post-match. “I had goosebumps as I was walking out. It is something I have been working on for a long time and the moment finally came. I am just grateful to the manager and grateful to the club and the players I am playing with for sharing this moment with me.
“It was a nice surprise. I was literally getting ready to stretch and loosen up and Mike Phelan just came to me and said: ‘Are you ready to go and see the referee?’
“I said ‘What do you mean?’ and he said, ‘Come on, you are captain.’ So I said: ‘Alright, let’s get it.’”
