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Axel Tuanzebe is facing the prospect of more frustration out on-loan with the Manchester United outcast left out of Napoli’s Europa League squad.

The 24-year-old spent the first half of the season with Aston Villa, but failed to ever break into the Premier League side’s regular starting XI.

Steven Gerrard replaced Dean Smith in the Midlands in November and the central defender saw his opportunities limited even further.

However, the Villa boss made it clear he wanted to keep Tuanzebe at the club for the entirety of the campaign, putting the ball firmly in the court of United chiefs.

“It's very much in Ax's hands and Manchester United's hands. We want him here, we would be delighted to keep him. We don't just see it as a loan until the end of the season, Gerrard explained during the January window.

"It's something we want to explore further than that. We just hope we've got that opportunity.

“He's a player we like very much and we'd like him to stay until the end of the season at least. Axel is his own man and will want to make his own decision.

"He is obviously owned by Manchester United which we all need to respect. I hope he wants to be part of this. In terms of what he has given on a daily basis, his leadership and training levels have been really strong and he is pushing to play."

United, along with the player himself, made the decision to cut his Villa spell short, joining Italian giants Napoli at the start of