Tuanzebe: I've matured in Mourinho's first team

The 19-year-old defender was part of the Tour 2017 squad in July and, although a minor back injury disrupted the early part of his campaign, he was last month part of the travelling squad for the 4-1 UEFA Champions League victory at CSKA Moscow in Russia.

We sat down with the 2017 Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year to assess his progress so far, and the continued learning curve that is ahead of him. 

“I’d say I’ve matured and my football style has as well," says Axel. "I make better decisions now. You learn about prioritising the team rather than playing for yourself. That’s a massive part of getting into the team, because everything you do is about trying to benefit the team.

“I’ve been with the first team for more than half a season now and I just keep learning. There is no point where I have stopped learning or I’ve seen enough, it’s always a continuous journey. The Moscow trip was a great experience, too, and a different type of preparation for me. We were there for longer and we trained there in Russia, so you pick up little things from the senior players.”

Tuanzebe was on the bench at CSKA in Moscow and is yet to feature for the senior team this season, but he is happy to be around the club's excellent start to the campaign. 

“Everyone is happy," says Axel. "The manager has rotated the squad. He's had players in and out, and we’ve been getting great results.

“Since the start of the season all of the performances have been very good. It’s been built up from the pre-season tour and there is a brotherhood spirit in the team. Pushing on during the season, we’ll be one of the teams to watch out for."