Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
‘I’ve had a taste of it’: Premier League ace claims he ‘enjoyed’ Aston Villa spell; helped achieve promotion in 2019
Manchester United’s Axel Tuanzebe has commented on his loan transfer to Aston Villa a few seasons ago.
The defender spent 18 months with the Midlands outfit between 2018 and 2019.
He first joined in January of 2018, however, failed to help the Villains reach the Premier League. Tuanzebe rejoined that summer and helped the club reach the top-flight.
After a long injury lay-off he returned to feature in the play-off final, where Dean Smith’s men won 2-1 over Derby County.
Overall, the DR Congo-born ace was a fan-favourite with the Villa faithful, who called for a back in 2019.
Speaking in an interview, the 23-year-old claimed that he enjoyed his time in the Midlands.
Tuanzebe said: “Being 23 now, I want to be playing week in, week out. I’ve had a taste of it, being at Villa. I enjoyed it.”
“When I was on loan, the pressure was obviously different. Not to say that Villa aren’t a big club, but you know, Man United are top of the top and the fans expect something.”
TBR View: Tuanzebe transfer could be an option for Aston Villa
The figure has impressed in a raft of performances for both Villa and the Red Devils over the last few seasons.
However, at 23-year-old, he needs to be playing regular football and that’s not the case at Old Trafford.
Tuanzebe made just 19 appearances across all competition. And with Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire securing their place as the starting centre-backs, game time is nigh-on impossible.
His loan spells proved he possesses the quality to feature for the club.
Smith’s side were far from rock-solid in the second-half of last season. Despite Emiliano Martinez’s record-equalling clean sheets, the defence was shaky.
Meanwhile, Tyrone Mings fell off in the second half of last term, making a string of errors.
An upgrade could well be a smart move from the club as they look to shore up their defence further.
And who better for Aston Villa to target this transfer window than a fan favourite in Tuanzebe.