Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's 'future captain' set to return to Man Utd under Erik ten Hag

Axel Tuanzebe looks certain to return to Manchester United following a failed loan move to Napoli.

The defender has only made two appearances since joining the Italian giants in the January transfer window, with injuries plaguing his time in Serie A. Tuanzebe is now set to head back to Old Trafford at the end of this season, report Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, with Napoli searching for new centre-backs after being linked with Southampton duo Jan Bednarek and Mohamed Salisu.

The 24-year-old will look to impress incoming Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag upon his return, with just one year left on his contract at Old Trafford. Tuanzebe also has a final shot at living up to former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 's lofty prediction, touted as a future United captain.

In the early stages of the 2019-20 campaign, the academy graduate broke into the first-team picture after a successful loan spell at Aston Villa, where he helped Dean Smith and co win promotion to the Premier League. Tuanzebe soon earned Solskjaer's trust, being handed the captain's armband for a League Cup victory over Rochdale, the town where he grew up upon moving from DR Congo aged four.

After selecting him as skipper ahead of established stars such as Paul Pogba and Sergio Romero, the ex-Red Devils boss declared post-match: "Axel is a captain in the making, he's a leader. Why not give [the captaincy] to young kids? We know we can give it to Sergio and we can give it to Paul, that's no problem and they've been captains before.

"But it was Axel today and how does he handle it? He was absolutely fine, he enjoyed it. It's just a way of telling him that we trust him."

Playing just 130 minutes of football during his injury-ridden spell in Naples,