“He’s currently the best player in Premier League but he lacks the freedom to prove himself”: Jadon Sancho has named ONE United’s player as the best in Premier League, advised him to leave United if he really want to win trophies
Axel Tuanzebe played with some incredible talents during his eight years in the Manchester United first team.
Now at 27 years old, Axel Tuanzebe is settled down at Ipswich Town playing under former Manchester United coach Kieran McKenna.
Tuanzebe has been thriving at Ipswich, and he will return to Old Trafford this week when the Tractor Boys face Ruben Amorim’s United in the Premier League.
Axel Tuanzebe spent 17 years with United having joined the academy aged eight. He broke through into the first team under Jose Mourinho and went on to make 37 first-team appearances before leaving in 2023.
Sadly, Tuanzebe struggled with injuries during his time at United, but he did gather some crucial senior experience alongside some very talented players at Carrington.
Axel Tuanzebe raves about ‘unbelievable’ Bastian Schweinsteiger
Tuanzebe was promoted to first-team training by Louis van Gaal in 2015, but it was after Mourinho’s arrival in 2016 that he took the step to becoming a starter.
Under Mourinho, Tuanzebe shared a dressing room with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney and Paul Pogba, but a different name popped into his head when asked who was the best player he ever played with.
Speaking on The Breakdown, Tuanzebe said: “Played with? Bastian Schweinsteiger. This is from my personal experience.
“He was about 34, 35 at the time – I could not get anywhere near him. I’m 19 at this time so I had legs for days. But he was three, four, five steps ahead of me. He knew how to control the ball to make me off balance.
“In the box, he was incredible in the box. He had an ability to slow down time. It’s like a ping pong in there, especially at that level.
“He was unbelievable. Couldn’t get anywhere near him.”
Bastian Schweinsteiger’s time as a Manchester United player
When Schweinsteiger made the move from Bayern Munich to reunite with Van Gaal at Old Trafford, United were hopeful that they had finally found a midfield talisman.
The legendary World Cup winner oozed class, but his time at United didn’t exactly go to plan.
Schweinsteiger was mistreated by Mourinho – made to train separately and banished from the dressing room without any real communication from the club.
Gary Neville was stunned by
Schweinsteiger’s story, but it quickly made sense why he only made 35 first-team appearances for United throughout his two years in England.
The 40-year-old continues to support United from afar despite the disgraceful treatment he received in 2016/17. Schweinsteiger congratulated United’s FA Cup success last season and frequently praises victories on social media.
