Why Aston Villa must sign Axel Tuanzebe permanently

According to a report by Birmingham Live, Aston Villa could push to sign on-loan Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe on a permanent deal.

The youngster had spent the latter half of the previous term with the Villans but a slew of injuries prevented him from making more than 4 appearances. But he is an immensely talented player and it comes as no surprise that Steve Bruce decided to sign temporarily once again.

The 20-year-old has certainly repaid Bruce’s trust in him by putting up some impressive displays for the Villans so far. He has started five games in the Championship this season, playing all of them as a right-back. However, Tuanzebe’s versatility is such that he can slot into any position in the backline with relative ease.

Granted, Aston Villa have had a difficult start to the new campaign but suffice to say, Tuanzebe is making all the right noises at Villa Park.

Tuanzebe can play as a right-back, a left-back and as a centre-back if needed. And to that end, it is a tad shocking that Manchester United loaned him out in the first place. The Red Devils’ defence has been rather shoddy and they have been leaking goals like nobody’s business.

Retaining Tuanzebe could have been a smart move but at least this way, the youngster will get to play competitive football on a regular basis. After all, United do have a good number of plays ahead of him in the pecking order.

In the five games he has played for Villa this season, Tuanzebe’s stats are rather eye-catching as well. The young defender has completed an average of 1 tackle, 1.6 interceptions and 3.6 clearances per game, while also winning an average of 3.6 aerial duels. These numbers are truly remarkable but Tuanzebe might need to work a bit when it comes to contributing to the defence.

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We are living in an age where the likes of Luke Shaw, Ryan Sessegnon, Marcos Alonso and Andrew Robertson have scored more goals than many forwards in the Premier League. And regardless of whether or not Tuanzebe continues permanently with Villa, he must up his game in this aspect to stand strong against his contemporaries.