Jump to content

Random Observer

Visiting Supporter
  • Posts

    12
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Random Observer

  1. I have a feeling Axel will be with United next season, regardless of Villa's league status. United were planning on spending big on a defender for next season, but what big time defender is going to move to Manchester to play in Europa League? They're going to have do deal with what they have (they'll sell/release a couple; Darmian, Rojo, Bailly, Valencia) but Smalling and Jones have both signed extensions over the last 2 seasons and Lindelof is the only one that looks like he really belongs at that level right now. Sure, United might go after Harry Maguire, but is he really that much better than Axel for the money he would require to be bought? I say you give Axel a year to develop at that level and he'll be just as good, if not better than, whatever option they can entice to join them next season. If they are lucky enough to get their act together and qualify for UCL the following season, they may open up the check book and splash on a big time CB.
  2. I think United will bring in one CB in the summer, hopefully Koulibaly, and sell Jones and Rojo. They'll go forward with Koulibaly/summer signing, Lindelof, Bailly and Smalling as their main 4 defenders and probably attempt to loan Axel out to a Premier League club for a "final test" in his development to see if he can handle the top flight.
  3. I don't think he's at Aston Villa because Man Utd don't rate him, I think he was sent to Villa because Jose Mourinho has no idea how to nurture talent and always tries to pawn off prospects on other teams to do the heavy lifting for him. If Tuanzebe was playing in Scotland or League One like some of United's loaned out players, I'd worry about him making it. The fact they sent him to a big club that had a shot at promotion at the start of the season tells me they wanted him to get first team experience, with the possibility of a promotion push, in order to get him used to playing in important matches with higher stakes. Now that Mourinho is gone, and United are either going to hire OGS or bring in someone like (hopefully) Pochettino, I think they will give their home grown products a few more chances going forward, even if they turn out to not make the grade.
  4. How can a player miss more games in 189 days (Aug - Feb there definitely aren't 60 games played!) than he did in 419 days? Something is off with those numbers.
  5. Fosu-Mensah is a much better RB than he is a CB; he has the same problem with aerial balls that Tuanzebe has, but he's absolutely rapid which allows him to recover from some position errors he still makes as he is still learning. I think those skills make him better suited for RB, and he uses the ball pretty well too, although he isn't a great crosser from what I've seen so far. If Villa can land him (loan or otherwise) it would be a very good pickup.
  6. Epic capitulation from Villa; it seems like they were trying to lose it in the second half. Kodja wasted 3-4 great positions early on, and that defense is a complete joke so its no shock the result ended the way it did. I wouldn't expect a team to win many games with Hutton, Elmohamady, and Bree in the line-up...the team needs 2-3 full backs and another CB or two to cover for injuries. Definitely not good enough to go up as is.
  7. Timothy Fosu-Mensah has the same issue, too. He has a ton of pace and is useful with the ball at his feet, but he gets dominated in the air very easily for a good sized, strong guy. Tuanzebe is even bigger than Fosu-Mensah and has the same struggles; I wonder if Man Utd academy defenders aren't focusing enough on that one aspect of their game. I remember listening to an interview (I think it was with Rio Ferdinand) once about how he had to teach himself how to be a good defensive header of the ball, and the only way to do it was to head dozens of aerial balls after practice. It isn't an enjoyable training session, but in the long run it would be worth if for Axel.
  8. I agree that all of those players are decent, and Lindelof has improved in the last month or so, so I'm hopeful he will come good. The problem is decent players aren't good enough for a club the stature of United; I personally believe a full season at Villa ( esp. working with John Terry) will improve Axel enough defensively to give him a shot at United's first team, if not first XI. He is a big, strong lad (although he could improve his aerial ability), pacy enough for the Prem, and is good enough with the ball to build attacks from the back. I can see Rojo and Bailly leaving in January or the summer, Jones is an injury nightmare with spotty form when he's healthy, and while I think Smalling is a solid defender, he is completely useless playing the ball and the game is quickly passing players of that mold by. Also, Smalling is getting close to a testimonial at United, which is something fans would likely see as representative of the decline since Ferguson retired, so he might be off as well before that comes to fruition. I can't see United selling Tuanzebe in the near future, especially if he continues his development at Villa Park and United eventually bin off a couple of deadwood defenders. He would be a great pickup for Aston Villa though, and if they pull off that signing I know a lot of United fans will be very disappointed.
  9. Hello everyone, I'm Chris, I'm an American that is a big Man Utd fan and join pretty much any forum I can to follow our players that are on loan, as well as learn as much as I can about other teams in England (and pick up new slang, when possible). Obviously I'm here to keep tabs on Axel Tuanzebe's progress at your club, and followed a lot of games last year when Sam Johnstone was on the books at Villa Park. I've been a silent observer of this forum for a while now, but I figured it was time to get in the mix and join in on some discussions that have piqued my interest. Hopefully I can join the community and contribute to the dialogue, as well as learn more about Villa.
×
×
  • Create New...
Â