Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe put in an incredible display to help the Red Devils to a well deserved 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain.
The 22-year-old had not played a first-team game for ten months due to injury. However, the absences of captain Harry Maguire and Eric Bailly meant he had to be called into action and he did not disappoint.
Tuanzebe kept both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe quiet for most of the game and supporters on Twitter were quick to praise the player following the victory last night:
Had Neymar and Mbappe on a leash
— H©️ (@HMUFC_) October 20, 2020
Brick wall
— Dyl (@UtdDyl) October 20, 2020
Phenomenal performance!
— Daniel (@UtdApollo) October 20, 2020
Outpacing Mbappe with ease. Man just came back after a year too.
— Christian (@christian6_MUFC) October 20, 2020
Wonder if he's emptied his pockets yet
— Solskjaer in LUHG (@fED_up_____) October 20, 2020
Our best CB ?
— Marko?? (@UnitedMarko) October 20, 2020
Future UTD captain.
— 〽️ (@007ballerz) October 20, 2020
Easily the best CB itl if he stays fit
— Matt (@UtdMatthew) October 20, 2020
Genuinely excited for him. Hope the only way is up for him from here.
— gvn (@gvn_kiwi) October 20, 2020
World class performance! After 10 months and playing like this VS Mbappe and Neymar ???
— AntiED (@ed_anti) October 21, 2020
To go that length of time without playing and still come into the team and put in that sort of performance tells you that Tuanzebe has massive potential.
Considering United’s woeful defensive record this season, you would have thought that he would be a nailed-on starter from now on, especially with Maguire being a doubt for the weekend’s game against Chelsea.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will need to be careful with Tuanzebe, though, as he has had his problems with injuries so his game time will need to be managed carefully.