Manchester United star Axel Tuanzebe has insisted he’s fit to play, having been out of action since the club’s win over Colchester back in December. And the centre-back has opened up on what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been telling the squad while in isolation, as the coronavirus continues to bring the Premier League to a halt.
Tuanzebe is yet to play in 2020 but, speaking to the Manchester Evening News, insisted he was now ready to get out onto the pitch again.
The defender said: “You never know what’s coming around the corner, so you always have to be on your toes.
“I’ve been unfortunate this season that any time where it’s coming to a chance to play regular minutes there’s always some form of breakdown.
“But even though COVID-19 is around, I feel [physically] ready to play, I would like for the season to resume and get back to playing situations, as long as it’s healthy to do so.
“My brother is always there for me whenever I need any specific training and the ball-work comes into that.
“I’m fortunate in that I have the facilities at my home to do any gym exercises, and having someone there to push you on makes you perform that little bit better. So I’m fortunate in this situation.”
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“Everyone just chips in here and there, it’s more so now about training with a bit of competition, people putting in what they’ve been doing.
“So everyone’s chipping in and everyone’s getting involved, which is good.”
Tuanzebe then admitted that he found the break coming at the worst time due to the fact he was nearly back to full fitness.
“It’s just frustrating, it’s very hard to deal with it, mentally,” he continued.
“Just because you see everyone progressing and you want to be a part of that, I want myself to improve and to be denied that opportunity is very frustrating.
“And coming off the back of last season and doing so well on loan [at Aston Villa], I wanted this season to be special for me, but it’s not gone to plan.
“But there is still time ahead to improve and get going again.”
Tuanzebe is highly-rated by United.
Solskjaer gave him the captaincy earlier in the season for the club’s Carabao Cup clash with Rochdale.
The Red Devils narrowly scraped through that night, emerging victorious after a tense penalty-shootout at Old Trafford.
