Why it's great to see Axel thriving

In just over five years working for Manchester United, I’ve done hundreds of interviews with dozens of players.

I’ll always remember the first, though, and Axel Tuanzebe was a genuine pleasure to speak to – insightful and intelligent, the defender belied his young age and was, I felt at the time, a potential United captain of the future.

A few weeks earlier, the DR Congo-born Rochdalian had led United out of the tunnel for a Carabao Cup clash with his hometown club, becoming our youngest skipper since Norman Whiteside in the 1980s.

Leadership seemed to be something that came naturally to Axel, even at 21.

“I think growing up, a lot of the lads looked up to me,” he said. “I always wanted to do…