09 March 2023 , 17:39
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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag and club captain Harry Maguire clearly have differing views on one player that had previously been tipped to don the armband for the Red Devils.
Both Maguire and former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had lofty expectations for Axel Tuanzebe, but it is apparent that Ten Hag doesn't seem to hold the young defender in quite the same high regard. It was the Dutchman's predecessor that first waxed lyrical over Tuanzebe, with Solskjaer tipping him to become a leader at Old Trafford.
Speaking in the aftermath of a Carabao Cup win over Rochdale two years ago, the Norwegian claimed: "Axel is a captain in the making, he's a leader – why not give it to young kids?"
Maguire agreed with Solskjaer's sentiment, as he doubled down on what his then-boss claimed by adding to the UTD Podcast: "We have a lot of leaders in the dressing room, a lot of senior pros. And you don’t have to be a senior pro to be a leader.
"Axel [Tuanzebe] is a leader, in the ways that he works and speaks in the dressing room. And he’s only a young boy, he’s still learning his trade – I’m sure he’ll go on to have an unbelievable career."
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Well, Maguire's assessment hasn't exactly played out as expected. Far from donning the armband for United, Tuanzebe isn't even at the club at the moment.
Axel Tuanzebe was tipped to become Manchester United captain before Erik ten Hag's arrivalHAVE YOUR SAY! Will Tuanzebe ever become a regular at United? Comment below
Under Ten Hag's rule, 25-year-old centre-back Tuanzebe has spent half the season exiled, forgotten and playing no part in the first-team fold. From January onwards, he has been on loan with Championship outfit Stoke City.
It looks as if any kind of pathway back to United in a first-team role for Tuanzebe is incredibly unlikely for as long as Ten Hag is at the helm.
The current United boss not only made clear that the Red Devils academy graduate is not in his plans upon his arrival, but Ten Hag went and signed a new centre-back in Lisandro Martinez for just shy of £60million.
Martinez's signing also meant that Tuanzebe falls further down the pecking order of United defenders when he already has the likes of Maguire, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof in front of him.
United's next test comes in the form of a Europa League round-of-16 first-leg meeting with Real Betis. European club football's secondary competition may have been the tournament Tuanzebe would have fancied himself to get some minutes in.
Instead, he'll likely be watching on from home as the Red Devils aim to take a step closer to the last eight of the competition.