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Axel Tuanzebe is reportedly suing former employers Manchester United for alleged 'clinical negligence'. The current Burnley defender, who left Old Trafford in 2023, has now lodged a legal claim at the High Court, according to The Telegraph. Tuanzebe joined the Red Devils' academy at the age of eight, and went on to captain the club at every level. He made his first-team debut in 2017, the first of 37 senior appearances for the club. However, these were spread out over six-and-a-half years, with his time in the senior set-up marred by persistent injuries, before he ultimately departed United for Ipswich two years ago. The Telegraph report says lawyers for the DR Congo international refused to comment on the lawsuit. Whilst on United's books, Tuanzebe had loans at Aston Villa, Napoli and Stoke, making a total of 44 appearances across these spells. Despite some impressive outings for United however, including a 2020 Champions League win against Paris Saint-Germain which saw him keep Kylian Mbappe at bay, he never managed to become a regular. His injury woes first began in October 2019 when he suffered a hip injury during the warm-up before United's 1-1 draw with Liverpool. The former England youth international was later ruled out for the rest of the season after he injured his hamstring on his return in a Carabao Cup win over Colchester in December. Things didn't get much better from then on, as Tuanzebe missed the start of the 2020/21 campaign with a foot injury. In his final season at the club, he was out for 195 days, before he was loaned to Stoke in January 2023, where he made just five appearances. Injuries continued to plague Tuanzebe until he joined Ipswich. There he made more than 40 appearances over two years after establishing himself as their first-choice right-back. But even this period wasn't without it's setbacks, with the 27-year-old even requiring surgery to save his thumb after cutting it whilst doing the washing up in October 2024. This caused him to miss four games, while he then suffered a hamstring injury which kept him out from the start of December to mid-January. Tuanzebe sat out two more games with a broken thumb in March, before departing Portman Road in June when his contract expired. After joining newly-promoted Burnley on a free transfer, he will continue to ply his trade in the Premier League next season. © 2025 talk SPORT Limited
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