Transfer News: Manchester United willing to let Axel Tuanzebe join Aston Villa on another season-long loan deal

Manchester United are reportedly willing to let star academy graduate Axel Tuanzebe leave on a season-long loan deal in the summer to Aston Villa once again.

According to an exclusive report by The Sun, Manchester United are set to allow Axel Tuanzebe to go out on another temporary spell to Aston Villa for another season in the summer transfer window. The 21-year-old academy graduate will have been at Villa Park for 18 months at the end of the season.

Axel Tuanzebe has long been regarded as one of the brightest prospects to have graduated from the fabled Manchester United academy in recent years. The young defender has already broken into the club’s first-team setup, having made his debut two years ago in a 4-0 FA Cup win over Wigan Athletic.

But, opportunities came few and far between in the subsequent months, with the player managing just seven further appearances in the side. With the likes of Victor Lindelof, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly and Marcos Rojo all being ahead of him in the pecking order, there seemed to be no clear pathway towards enjoying a regular role in the Manchester United first-team setup.

But, Tuanzebe’s progress has not stalled, as he made his way to Aston Villa for the second half of the 2017-18 season. While he did not start week in week out, the Englishman made enough impression to see the Championship club swoop him away from Manchester United a second time, this time on a season-long loan deal.

The current campaign has seen Tuanzebe become a regular, having made 21 appearances across all competitions, although a long-term foot injury has derailed his campaign. Still, the 21-year-old seems to have done enough to convince Aston Villa to sign him for a third time.

And, Manchester United are open to the idea of letting their star academy graduate leave on another season-long loan spell so as to continue his progress. The deal will not be scuppered if Villa earn promotion to the Premier League either.

The deal makes sense as United are unlikely to be able to afford Tuanzebe much game time, especially with a centre-back likely to arrive at Old Trafford in the summer – William Saliba is the latest defender to be linked with the club.

Also, the fact that Manchester United are willing to let Tuanzebe embark on loan instead of offloading him permanently could mean they see a future for him at Old Trafford. For now though, it looks like the 21-year-old academy graduate will be out on loan in the 2019-20 as well.