Axel Tuanzebe: I'm ready to play for Manchester United

Seventeen-year-old Mason Greenwood will once again make headlines after his goal was the difference between Manchester United and Inter Milan during the International Champion's Cup standings in Singapore on Saturday.

The attacker, who was fit during the pre-season tour and will remain at Old Trafford this season rather than being loaned, took 16 minutes to do what his teammates had tried for an hour before their mbadive replacement in wet conditions: he scored.

United has won all three matches of the round so far, with seven goals scored and no goals conceded. All were rated or attended by graduates from the Youth Academy.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Greenwood will not want his team to play in the league and that with each promising performance, United will be less worried if Romelu Lukaku will join Inter Milan, but Solskjaer will also have to make big defense calls.

Starting Axel Tuanzebe for the third pre-season match of United against a strong Inter was a sign that the Norwegian really wants to give a chance to his 21-year-old United captain at all levels, with the exception of the first team.

Tuanzebe, who arrived in Greater Manchester from DR Congo at the age of four, is a quick central defender who can also play as a right-back.

He wants to play football regularly and that meant he was on loan to Aston Villa for the past two years, where he was getting better and better in a team that was promoted to the Premier League in May.

Nothing has changed in his mind, he wants to play for United and thinks he is ready. But Old Trafford has six central defenders and Solskjaer wants a seventh.

Harry Maguire wants to join United and they want him, but not against a fee that will make him the most expensive defender in history. Solskjaer is also aware that some hard-to-move players have to be sold.

United needs an established defense after too many changes and goals cashed last term, but the Norwegian also believes in the promotion of local players, although Tuanzebe is not really a young man.

"The manager trusts young players and I'm ready to play. I'm still 60 years under the belt and I will continue, "said Tuanzebe The National.

He played well against Inter, wearing 38 and playing on Victor Lindelof's right in central defense and left of new rookie Aaron Wan Bissaka, who continues to look at home in the bottom line since his arrival from Crystal Palace.

"It is difficult to pbad and it is moving forward," said Solskjaer of Wan Bissaka. "The kid is only 21 years old but he has a good chance."

Tuanzebe is also impressed by his new teammate.

"You can see why we paid so much money for him," he said. "He's an excellent defender with big feet.

"He was solid, he was welcomed, he is calm but we will take him out of his shell, we call him the spider because no one can overtake him."

The average age of United's defensemen was 23 on Saturday.

Tuanzebe scored Samuele Longo in the Kallang National Stadium clash. He intercepted and responded well under pressure and wet conditions.

He supported attacks and fouls were rare and United kept a third white in three games.

The 52,897 spectators – 95% of whom wore red – were encouraged by United's performance in the first half, as their fluid 4-2-3-1 system gained momentum.

As in their previous two games, United spends most of his time in his opponent's half-court.

Solskjaer knows he has doubts because of his lack of experience and because he was named at a difficult time in United's history after so much success, but he is determined to play offensive football.

United had scored eight times in his previous visit to Singapore in 2001 and faced goalkeeper Fabien Barthez at the wing. This friendly match against a local team did not matter, this one had done it.

United starts last season at its lowest level, its fans being frustrated by a disappointing end to the season and only two rookies so far.

A cloud of skepticism envelops the fans and that will only change with victories in competitive matches, but the players look better than a year ago and the atmosphere in the camp is happier and the pre-season games are more entertaining.

It is a fragile trust that will be broken if United begins its campaign in the Premier League slowly.

But there are three other pre-season friendlies before this point. Three chances for the improvement to continue against Tottenham Hotspur in Shanghai, Kristiansund in Oslo and AC Milan in Cardiff.

All his players will continue to have chances – as they did after 60 minutes when the entire team was changed and Tuanzebe was replaced by Eric Bailly, who was excellent.

Solskjaer was impressed by Tuanzebe and has great aspirations for the player since he explained that he had been selected to play against Inter Milan to challenge him, rather than against Leeds United where he knew already level football.

"Today was a test, we know he can play at this level (Championship) and that's why he did not play against Leeds," said Solskjaer.

"He showed he was very capable at this level. Axel will be the future of this club. "

From his team, he said: "High energy, strength, intensity," said Solskjaer. "I'm very happy, we have players to press on the front foot: Jesse, Marcus, Anthony. We seem strong as a defensive unit. "

Tuanzebe thinks he is well placed.

He said, "My last season, I showed that I'm a better player than a year ago. Have a good coach to support me as a player and as a person helped me. I am more mature, my decision making is better, my physics, I build myself in the game and I am a senior player. "

"He played really well," said former United defender Wes Brown. "I was really impressed by him. He won his face-to-face duels, he was calm in the air and he intensifies this year after a good year spent abandoned.

"Axel is strong, he reads the game well and he is much better after playing after a week in a big club like Aston Villa."

"I'm ready to play for Manchester United – without a doubt," Tuanzebe concluded as he headed for the team coach before the match between United and Tottenham on Thursday.