Axel Tuanzebe has a decision to make on his Manchester United future under Erik ten Hag

When Manchester United faced Paris Saint-Germain in the first Champions League fixture of the 2020/21 season, many fans feared that Kylian Mbappe would tear them apart. Instead, he was 'pocketed' by Axel Tuanzebe, who was deployed on the right of a three-at-the-back formation by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Many believed this would be the game that Tuanzebe had announced himself to the world and he would become a regular in the squad because of it. Fast forward to today and he has just spent six months on loan at Napoli playing 110 minutes and after departing from the pre-season tour early has all but disappeared from public view.

It is believed United are open to offers for the 24-year-old but it emerged recently he is nursing an injury. Erik ten Hag suggested on Friday at his press conference he will not leave in this window as he is injured. So what is next for Tuanzebe at United?

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Well, the real answer is no one knows. Tuanzebe is currently injured but given that his last spell of regular football came with Aston Villa in the Championship during the 2018/19 season and his second time there in 2021/22 unceremoniously ended with the appointment of Steven Gerrard, there is no clear evidence to say whether he is a centre-back that Ten Hag would like or not.

But if he remains at Old Trafford, there could be a situation in which he plays. United currently have five senior centre-backs on their books, a hierarchy of which Tuanzebe sits at the bottom.

But with Raphael Varane and Phil Jones both prone to injury, if Ten Hag wants to rotate his team in cups, then Tuanzebe could get his shot. It is not the life that the English defender was probably envisioning as he made a