Axel Tuanzebe has been a name many Manchester United have wanted to see on the team-sheet recently.
Jose Mourinho is continuing to try and show he’ll give young players a chance, to a certain extent, and the match against Swansea City on Tuesday was a perfect opportunity.
Tuanzebe started in a role on the left side of defence and impressed quickly, although Mourinho believes he began the match nervously.
Early in the game the commentators tried to make a big deal of an incident between the youngster and Wayne Routledge, suggesting there’d been a shirt pull and possible penalty. But it was absolute nonsense, and replay after replay couldn’t show something which wasn’t there.
It wasn’t a thrilling match, with Manchester Untied winning 2-0 thanks to a brace from Jesse Lingard, and Tuanzebe’s comfortable performance is one of the major talking points.
Quoted after the match as saying: “There’s nothing better than playing for Manchester United.”
Tuanzebe explained he found out during the afternoon that Mourinho would be selecting him, and added “There’s nothing more rewarding as a young lad coming through.”
With his future aims clear, the 19 year old will now want more minutes under Mourinho, and the manager may well feel a pressure from fans to oblige.
