.jpg) Tuanzebe playing forManchester United in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Axel Tuanzebe[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1997-11-14)14 November 1997 (age 28)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Bunia, DR Congo | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Burnley | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2015 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2023 | Manchester United | 19 | (0) |
| 2018 | →Aston Villa (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | →Aston Villa (loan) | 25 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | →Aston Villa (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2022 | →Napoli (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2023 | →Stoke City (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2023–2025 | Ipswich Town | 41 | (1) |
| 2025– | Burnley | 6 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | England U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | England U20 | 9 | (0) |
| 2017 | England U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2024– | DR Congo | 7 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10:27, 23 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10:09, 17 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Axel Tuanzebe (born 14 November 1997) is a Congolese professionalfootballer who plays as adefender forPremier League clubBurnley and theDR Congo national team.
Tuanzebe is a graduate of theManchester United youth system and won both theJimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year and Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year awards. He made his competitive debut in anFA Cup game againstWigan Athletic in January 2017. He had three spells on loan atAston Villa and helped them to win promotion to the Premier League in 2019. After spending time withNapoli in 2022 andStoke City in 2023, he was released by Manchester United at the end of the 2022–23 season. Following two seasons atIpswich Town, with whom he won promotion to the Premier League, he joined Burnley on a free transfer.
Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tuanzebe relocated to England at a young age and represented England atunder-19,under-20 andunder-21 levels, before opting to represent the DR Congo senior team in 2024.
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Tuanzebe was associated with theManchester United academy from the age of eight.[4] He was captain of theMilk Cup winning youth side in 2014.[5] In May 2015, Tuanzebe won theJimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award.[6] Academy coachPaul McGuinness noted that Tuanzebe was likely the first first-year scholar to captain the under-18 side sinceGary Neville.[7]
On 31 October 2015, at the age of 17, Tuanzebe was named on the substitutes bench for a match againstCrystal Palace in thePremier League, the first time he had been a member of a first-team matchday squad.[8][9]
On 29 January 2017, Tuanzebe made his Manchester United debut as a 68th-minute substitute, replacingTimothy Fosu-Mensah during a 4–0FA Cup victory overWigan Athletic atOld Trafford.[10] Four days later, he extended his contract at Manchester United until 2020, with the option of a further year.[11] On 7 May 2017, Tuanzebe started a senior match for the first time, in a 2–0 defeat againstArsenal in the Premier League.[12] He won theDenzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year award in May 2017.[13]
Tuanzebe made his first start of the season againstSwansea City in theEFL Cup on 24 October 2017, playing a key part in the second goal of the 2–0 victory.[14] On 5 December 2017, he made his European debut in a 2–1 victory overCSKA Moscow in theUEFA Champions League.[15]
On 25 January 2018, Tuanzebe joinedChampionship sideAston Villa onloan for the remainder of the season.[16] However, due to injury problems and the form of preferred centre-backsJames Chester andJohn Terry he was only able to make five appearances before returning to Manchester United.[17] In August 2018, after going on United's pre-season tour to the United States, he joined Aston Villa on loan again for the2018–19 season.[18] On 27 May 2019, he played the full 90 minutes as Villa achieved promotion to the Premier League in the2019 EFL Championship play-off final with a victory overDerby County in the final.[19]
In July 2019, Tuanzebe signed a new contract with Manchester United until June 2022, with an option for an additional year.[20] At 21 years old, he became the youngest player to captain United sinceNorman Whiteside in 1985, during an EFL Cup victory againstRochdale in September 2019.[21] Throughout the first two months of the 2019–20, Tuanzebe established himself as a starting centre back for Manchester United and was due to start theNorth West Derby in October but suffered a hip injury in the warm up.[22] He made his return in December's EFL Cup victory overColchester United, but suffered ahamstring injury during the game ruling him out for the remainder of the season.[23]
On 20 October 2020, Tuanzebe started his first game in 10 months, after suffering an ankle injury in pre-season. The game was hisUEFA Champions League debut in which Manchester United won 2–1 away againstParis Saint-Germain.[24] Tuanzebe received praise for his match performance, especially his defensive work againstKylian Mbappé andNeymar.[25][26][27] He started his first league game of the season on 27 January 2021, in a 2–1 home defeat to eventual bottom-finishersSheffield United.[28] On 25 February, he scored what would have been his only goal for Manchester United in theUEFA Europa League againstReal Sociedad. However, VAR ruled the goal put due to teammateVictor Lindelöf fouling an opponent during the corner.[29] Tuanzebe played all remaining Europa League games up until and including the final and was a rotation option in the Premier League making 19 appearances in total.
After a couple of displays for Manchester United in pre season friendlies, including a 4–2 away defeat atQueens Park Rangers, on 8 August 2021, Tuanzebe signed a new two-year contract with Manchester United, with the option of an extra year; that day, he also agreed to rejoin Aston Villa on loan for the 2021–22 season, his third loan spell with the club.[30][31] On 8 January 2022, Tuanzebe was recalled from his Aston Villa loan, and loaned toSerie A teamNapoli.[32][33]
Tuanzebe suffered a further injury in the pre-season of 2022–23 season and did not return to training until January. On deadline day of the mid-season transfer window, he joinedStoke City on loan for the remainder of the season.[34] However, continued injury problems restricted him to only five appearances.[35]
On 8 September 2023, Tuanzebe signed forEFL Championship sideIpswich Town on an initial 12-month contract.[36] He made his debut for the club in a 3–1EFL Cup loss toFulham on 1 November.[37] Six days later, he made his league debut in a 2–2 draw withRotherham United.[38]
On 6 January 2024, Tuanzebe scored his first goal for Ipswich in a 3–1 win overWimbledon in the third round of theFA Cup.[39]
During the second half of the2023–24 season, Tuanzebe established himself as Ipswich's starting right-back as the club gained promotion back to the Premier League after a 22-year absence.[40]
On 3 June 2024, Ipswich announced they had extended his contract by 12 months.[41] In October 2024 he suffered an unusual injury when he cut his thumb while washing dishes, requiring surgery to save it.[42]
On 26 June 2025, Tuanzebe joined newly-promotedPremier League sideBurnley on a free transfer.[43]
Tuanzebe is eligible to represent England or the Democratic Republic of the Congo at international level.[44] He has played youth international football for England atunder-19,under-20 andunder-21 levels.[45]
Tuanzebe began his international career in June 2016, when he made his first appearance for England at under-19 level, against Mexico.[46] He was a member of the England under-20 squad which won all three matches at the Four Nations tournament in October 2016.[47] Tuanzebe was withdrawn from selection for the2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup due to club commitments.[48]
On 10 November 2017, Tuanzebe made his debut for England at under-21 level, againstUkraine.[49]
In December 2023, Tuanzebe was pre-called up by theDR Congo national team for the2023 Africa Cup of Nations.[50]
Tuanzebe made his debut for theDR Congo national team on 6 June 2024 in aWorld Cup qualifier againstSenegal at theDiamniadio Olympic Stadium. He played the full match as the game ended in a 1–1 draw.[51]
Tuanzebe's preferred position is atcentre-back, but he can also play as aright-back, and has featured as aholding midfielder.[52][53] His playing style has been compared to that of his former Manchester United teammateEric Bailly and formerSpain internationalJavi Martínez.[54] Tuanzebe's performance on his first-team debut in a friendly against Wigan Athletic in July 2016 led managerJosé Mourinho to remark, "10 minutes is enough! The potential is there, you see it immediately."[55]
Tuanzebe was born inBunia, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2] He emigrated to England with his family in 2002.[56] He attendedSt Cuthbert's RC High School inRochdale and captained the Year 7 football team to the final of the English National Schools Cup atStamford Bridge in 2009.[57] In the same year, he was awarded Sports Boy of the Year by the Mayor of Rochdale.[57] He also represented his school in cross-country and triple-jump.[57] He is the younger brother of ex-Clitheroe striker Dimitri Tuanzebe.[58]
In July 2025, Tuanzebe sued Manchester United for alleged negligent medical advice. The claim related to a value of over £1 million, from a period between July 2022 and his loan to Stoke the following January.[59]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 2015–16[60] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016–17[61] | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2017–18[62] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[63] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20[64] | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21[2] | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8[e] | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22[65] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23[66] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 | ||
| Aston Villa (loan) | 2017–18[62] | Championship | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[63] | Championship | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3[f] | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22[65] | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| Total | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |||
| Napoli (loan) | 2021–22[65] | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Stoke City (loan) | 2022–23[66] | Championship | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Ipswich Town | 2023–24[67] | Championship | 19 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 1 | ||
| 2024–25[68] | Premier League | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 0 | |||
| Total | 41 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 1 | ||
| Burnley | 2025–26[69] | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 110 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 143 | 1 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR Congo | 2024 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 0 | |
Manchester United
Aston Villa
Ipswich Town
Individual
