Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe has joined Aston Villa on loan for the rest of the season, reports The Independent.
The 20-year old, who can play in either defence or midfield, becomes Villa’s first signing of the transfer window, and could be set to make his debut for his new club in their Championship fixture away at Sheffield United next Tuesday.
Tuanzebe joined the United academy aged eight and has since progressed through the youth ranks at Old Trafford, and has played three times for the senior side this season, including in their Champions League win over CSKA Moscow. Although he was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he has played for England at under-19, under-20, and under-21 level.
Villa, after a poor start to the season, have now worked their way up to fourth, and are pushing for promotion back to the Premier League after an absence of two years. They are also trying to secure Leonard Ulloa from Leicester City, but the striker’s fate is linked to that of Islam Slimani, and he will not be allowed to leave the King Power if Slimani moves elsewhere.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.