Defender’s agent hits out at ‘confusing’ Man Utd ‘decisions’
Axel Tuanzebe’s agent seemed to suggest that young players at Man Utd aren’t getting fair treatment after his client moved to Napoli.
The 24-year-old came through the ranks at Old Trafford and has played 37 times for them across all competitions since he made his senior debut in 2016/17.
Tuanzebe was on loan at Aston Villa from Man Utd in the first half of the season but after being used sparingly he was recalled by the Red Devils.
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And, despite Villa boss Steven Gerrard wanting to keep Tuanzebe at Villa Park, Serie A side Napoli snapped him up on Saturday to strengthen their defence.
But Tuanzebe’s agent Fabrizio Ferrari pointed to “particular decisions” from Man Utd surrounding young players as “confusing”.
“Tuanzebe was chosen, he’s not a fallback. They were looking for a structured defender but with speed in his legs, and Axel married very well. He still has to express himself to the maximum but he’s very strong and can be very useful to Napoli,” Ferrari told Radio Punto Nuovo.
“I believe that Manchester United has made particular decisions for the growth of their young players, I don’t think they have a policy to improve their training. They are confusing in the management of players under contract. Tuanzebe has returned to these managerial changes.”
On whether Tuanzebe could join on a permanent basis, Ferrari added: “There are all the margins, no doubt. Axel did not come here to do four months but to make people understand his football level, show his characteristics and then it will be up to Napoli to find the economic solution to bring Tuanzebe outright.
“He was very happy, we chatted a lot about the differences between English and Italian football.”
Meanwhile, Man Utd interim boss Ralf Rangnick is pleased to be working with “one of the best” goalkeepers in David de Gea at “controlling the box”.
Rangnick told United’s official website: “Well, I think they are both definitely on the list of the top five goalkeepers in the world,” Ralf told club media. “Maybe even in the top three.
“They are both in a fantastic shape, physically and, as well as on the line, when it’s about controlling the box, David De Gea is probably one of the best, if not the best, in the world and we are very happy to have him.
“But, honestly, as a coach, I would prefer more of those games, for example, against Crystal Palace [a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford], where we don’t need him as much and, in order to achieve that, we just need to make sure we don’t have too many shots on goal.
“We had too many shots on our goal, also in the first half against Wolves, and the same was true at Newcastle or even at Norwich. But again, on the other hand, it’s good to have someone like David in goal – a fantastic professional, a fantastic player and it’s great to work with a player like him.”