Manchester United have reportedly entered the race to sign Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly.
United have been linked to some of the biggest names in football, with Jadon Sancho at the top of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s transfer list.
Manchester City and United are set to battle for the same centre-back in the summer, as both clubs are vying for Koulibaly’s signature.
Solskjaer still hasn’t decided how he wants to spend his budget, as he is waiting to see what will happen when the transfer window opens.
United’s defensive woes were exposed for everyone to see as Bournemouth managed to score twice in the 5-2 win last weekend. However, the club could look closer to home to find a viable solution to the problem.
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Axel Tuanzebe has become a fringe figure at Old Trafford, as his season has been ravaged by injury.
After a bright start, the 22-year-old has fallen down the pecking order as he has suffered with hip and hamstring problems. He has only played 187 minutes in the Premier League this season and finds himself behind Harry Maguire, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof.
According to Andy Mitten, via The Athletic’s Talk of the Devil podcast, Tuanzebe has already been earmarked as one for the future.
“Axel Tuanzebe is a player that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer really likes. Everybody at the club likes him,” Mitten said.
“There’s people at the club that think he’s good enough to be absolutely top class, [Rio] Ferdinand class, [Nemanja] Vidic class.”
For all this talk of Solskjaer giving the youth a chance, Tuanzebe has struggled to get a foot in, despite the high praise he has received from many around the club.
Nevertheless, he has looked brilliant in the few times he has featured, as he has saved his best performances for the Europa League.
The academy graduate has played three games in the European competition, winning 4.7 aerials per game, completing 2.3 clearances, and attempting at least one dribble on average (via WhoScored).
His strengths lie in his passing distribution and his presence in the air, which has drawn comparisons to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
While only time will tell if the Englishman will be able to hit the same heights as his decorated predecessors, he had shown flashes of his overall brilliance during his loan spell with Aston Villa.
Solskjaer should shift his focus from Koulibaly to Tuanzebe instead, as United will be unable to afford both the Senegal defender and Sancho as well.
Borussia Dortmund’s top scorer remains his top priority and he could actually end up saving money if he gives the youngster a chance to prove himself.
United fans, should Solskjaer give Tuanzebe another shot? Let us know down below!
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