Man United academy graduate nearly loses thumb in freak incident needing surgery

Former Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe almost lost his thumb in a freak accident away from the football pitch.

The centre-back, who came through United's academy, now plays for newly-promoted Ipswich Town. Head coach Kieran McKenna revealed that a hand injury that required an operation meant that he was forced to sit out the 4-1 defeat against West Ham on Saturday.

“He's done a hand injury, a very unfortunate accident,” the Ipswich boss said over the weekend. "He's had surgery and will be out for a while.

“It's not going to be a couple of weeks, probably longer. There are still discussions with the specialists.

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“He's naturally a miss with the way he's started the season. He's going to be out for a little while.”

The Daily Mail report that the injury occurred when the 26-year-old was washing dishes at home. Tuanzebe suffered a deep cut to his hand from the shard of a smashed glass.

After seeking medical attention, there were concerns that he would lose his thumb. But surgeons were able to save it, with the player now recovering from the freak incident.

Tuanzebe started his career with United, playing 37 times for the first team. He spent time out on loan with several clubs, including Aston Villa and Napoli bigotry being released in the summer of 2023.

He signed for Ipswich on a free transfer the same summer and played 18 times in the Championship as the Tractor Boys finished in second place to earn promotion to the Premier League. This season the defender had started all six of Ipswich’s league games before being forced to miss the