Axel Tuanzebe has come under the spotlight after producing a jaw-dropping performance in Manchester United’s stunning away win over PSG.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s decision to field Tuanzebe from the first minute at the Parc des Princes has caught many by surprise.
The 22-year-old defender had not featured for Manchester United for ten months before last night.
But, the highly-rated youngster refused to succumb to pressure and instead put in a blistering showing to help United run out 2-1 winners in Paris.
In the absence of Harry Maguire and Eric Bailly, Tuanzebe was tasked with helping Victor Lindelof deny the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
And the Englishman delivered! He did it in remarkable fashion, not making a single mistake throughout the 90 minutes of play.
Tuanzebe was arguably the best defender on the pitch, gaining plaudits for his heroic display against some of the best forwards on the planet.
During the post-match discussion, BT Sport pundits were waxing lyrical about the centre-back’s inspiring performance.
Former Red Devils midfielder Owen Hargreaves refused to hide his excitement about Tuanzebe’s impact.
“I love him,” he said, as relayed by the Daily Mail. “Good luck getting this guy out of the team. To be fair, he is a good athlete. He makes good decisions, physically he has a presence, he wasn’t fazed by Mbappe or Neymar. I think he grew into the occasion.
“Scott McTominay put in a top performance here a couple of years ago, this young man is not getting out the side. If you can have this athleticism in these positions (when he knocked Mbappe off the ball) then you have something special.”
Another Manchester United hero joined Hargreaves in praising Tuanzebe. Rio Ferdinand urged Solskjaer to consider putting more trust in the up-and-coming central defender.
“This is where Man United have struggled in the last six to 12 months, in the areas, chasing players down the channels, they can’t stay with them, and then that opens up the back four or back three.
“But he was smelling danger. Ole just said he faced two of the best strikers in the world, he snuffed out danger many a time today, you have to reward performances like that.
“He has had a hard time with injury, but again first game in 10 months, to come in and play like that out of the cold, you deserve to be rewarded but Ole is the man to make that decision.”
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