Axel Tuanzebe wowed fans on his debut for Stoke City on loan from Manchester United, showing signs that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Harry Maguire were spot on to rate him so highly.
The 25-year-old defender, who rose through the ranks at United and has worn the captain's armband at every age level, joined Stoke on a half-season loan in the January transfer window. Tuanzebe, whose contract expires in June, failed to make an appearance under Erik ten Hag - mostly due to being injured for the first half of the campaign - and had to wait until Tuesday to earn a start this term.
As Stoke faced Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup fifth round, narrowly losing 1-0 thanks to Evan Ferguson's first-half goal, the United loanee stepped in and put in an impressive debut performance. Having previously only been afforded an eight-minute cameo against Huddersfield Town a fortnight ago, Tuanzebe managed 76 minutes in Tuesday's defeat and got Stoke supporters excited.
"Tuanzebe looks mint," one wrote on Twitter. Another added: "Tuanzebe looked quality, like the look of him." "Tuanzebe has to play. He's solid," a third declared.
Making one block, two clearances and a couple of recoveries, Tuanzebe showed the defensive acumen which he's possessed since a young age. Although he squandered a guilt-edged chance to equalise with a header, two passes into the final third from centre-back demonstrated his quality on the ball, and if he can build on his debut display, Solskjaer and Maguire will be proven right even further.
When United faced Tuanzebe's hometown club, Rochdale, in September 2019, Solskjaer boldly handed him the captaincy ahead of various senior players. "Axel is a captain in the making, he's a leader," the former Red Devils boss stated to talkSPORT. "Why not give it to young kids? How did he handle it? He was absolutely fine, he enjoyed it. It's just a way of telling him that we trust him."
Speaking after the DR Congo-born defender shone during an away win against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League just over a year later, Solskjaer added: "I'm pleased for him. Now, it's about getting consistency in his performances, he's got to stay injury-free but I think he can kick on, he's a leader.
"He can play right-back, centre-back, midfield. He's a boy who takes responsibility for his own development and he's doing everything he can to have a long career at United and get that consistency."
Club captain Maguire backed up his ex-boss' comments in 2021 when he said: "We have a lot of leaders in the dressing room, a lot of senior pros. And you don't have to be a senior pro to be a leader. Axel is a leader, in the ways that he works and speaks in the dressing room. And he's only a young boy, he's still learning his trade. I'm sure he'll go on to have an unbelievable career."
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Unfortunately for Tuanzebe, he wasn't able to kick on due to combination of injuries and competition at centre-back, and he spent last season on loan at Aston Villa and Napoli, making a total of 13 appearances. With Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane arriving since Tuanzebe last played for United, it feels unlikely that he'll given a new deal and his injuries fears haven't been allayed yet.
"Axel is a top player," Stoke boss Alex Neil affirmed post-match, only to echo similar fitness concerns which the Red Devils have harboured in recent years. "It's just his tolerance levels in terms of what his body can get through."
