Axel Tuanzebe is hungry for more Manchester United chances after returning to the starting XI in the Reds 1-0 FA Cup third round win against Watford.
Tuanzebe has made 10 appearances for United in the 2020-21 season and, prior to the Watford match, his previous start had been at Everton in the Carabao Cup quarter-final just before Christmas.
With a key Premier League double header coming up this week that could send United to the top of the league, the cup tie was an ideal warm-up to help underpin manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad strength.
“We want to be top of the league, you know, and this is the time to do it,”
Axel told MUTV.
“[They are] two games that can really cement our position at the top and we just bounce on from there.”
United will discover our FA Cup fourth round opponents 24 hours before the Burnley match, but Tuanzebe isn't too fussed about who we'll face next - he's just glad to be in the hat.
“That's what is most important. That's what we said after the game, that we're through,”
he said.
“Sometimes, games like this are scrappy, a lot of changes to the team, it's hard to have a rhythm, a pattern of play, but it's job done.”
Tuanzebe played the full match against the Hornets and wants more.
“I would obviously love to get more minutes, so I can constantly keep my performances up,” he added. “Obviously the team are doing well so the only way in is really to force myself in with the chances that I do get.
“Sometimes it [the opportunity] can just come out of the blue. But the main thing is that we kept a clean sheet and we won the game.
“Respect to Watford. We said it before the game: they're a very tough-spirited side. Even though they made changes to the team, we know their ethos, their culture. So we knew that we had to perform to get the victory.”
With such a congested fixture programme opportunities for all squad members are set to be on offer, something Axel clearly welcomes.
“For one it prevents injuries, it gives everyone opportunities to perform, spots [become] open, nobody can be lacking and it keeps competition high. So that's the positive thing about it.”