How Tuanzebe Has Impressed On Tour 2016

ManUtd.com's James Tuck blogs on United prospect Axel Tuanzebe after interviewing the young defender in Shanghai on day one of Tour 2016, presented by Aon...

When Jose Mourinho declared he only needed 10 minutes to spot the potential in Axel Tuanzebe, it was a statement to raise a collective eyebrow among Manchester United fans.

At a club that has traditionally shielded its promising young players from media hype and zealous scrutiny, here was the new manager publicly declaring his faith in one of his fledgling defenders.

The 18-year-old, who was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo but grew up in Rochdale, has yet to make a competitive first-team appearance, though he was named on the substitutes’ bench at Crystal Palace last term and enjoyed a late appearance during last weekend’s friendly win over Wigan Athletic.

Any regular watchers of the Under-18s and Under-21s on MUTV will know all about the qualities of United's former Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year, who is both imposing and comfortable on the ball, earning comparisons to Reds legend Rio Ferdinand.

Yet for all the potential Axel has shown on the field, I still expected some uncertainty and timidness from such a young and inexperienced player on the first day of his first pre-season tour with the senior squad.

Yes, he’d proved to be a good talker in our only other interview with him. But this was his first time in front of the camera, following that vote of confidence from the boss. Might it have daunted him? Not a bit of it. Instead, he produced a confident performance that exuded a level of maturity well beyond his years.

This is what I learned from my interview with Tuanzebe on day one of Tour 2016...

CONFIDENT AND LEVEL-HEADED
When Axel stated “this is my opportunity now”, it came across as quiet self-belief. When I asked about Mourinho’s praise, he smiled and took it in his stride, admitting it’s down to him to prove the boss right.

HE WANTS TO DO EVERYTHING WELL
And that includes club media interviews. So after enquiring beforehand about the general themes of the chat, he proceeded to provide some in-depth answers that belied his young years, revealing he was watching his more experienced team-mates closely to pick up “little habits” from them.

TOUR 2016 HASN’T FAZED HIM
Tuanzebe had flown 5,000 miles to a faraway land to be greeted by hordes of passionate fans, with some stellar footballing names for company. Yet he strolled into our interview room and quickly adopted a relaxed pose, chatting amiably about the vast team hotel, the searing heat and even Chinese culture. It was only the first day of the tour, but he was clearly loving it and isn't fazed by his new environment.

AXEL IS WHAT’S TECHNICALLY KNOWN AS ‘A UNIT’
A physically impressive man who towered over me, Axel looked every inch the powerful, dominant defender capable of brushing lesser opponents aside. Centre-back is the position where he has always felt most comfortable and, of course, at 18 he still has plenty of time to develop even more.

Tuanzebe has began to demonstrate his potential on the pitch but he seems to have all the right attributes off it as well. It leads me to believe that, if he steers clear from the injury problems that disrupted his 2015/16 campaign, he could be among the next wave of Academy graduates to force his way into the first team. Even if this isn't his breakthrough year, a bright future beckons.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be considered as representative of Manchester United Football Club.

Credit: Manutd.com