Latest Aston Villa news from BirminghamLive as former Villans defender Axel Tuanzebe is released by Man United

Manchester United have released former Aston Villa centre-back Axel Tuanzebe whilst also referencing his standout performance against Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe.

The 25-year-old will leave Old Trafford at the end of June after coming through the club’s youth academy. He made 37 first-team appearances for the Red Devils.

Tuanzebe had three separate loan spells at Villa Park in 2018, 2019 and 2022. He made a total of 46 appearances having played in the Premier League and Championship for the Villans.

But the former Villa player suffered another injury-plagued year in 2022 and has just finished a four-month loan with Stoke City in the Championship, where he played only five times.

And in announcing his departure, the Red Devils credited Tuanzebe’s performance in a 2-1 win over PSG in the Champions League group stages in October 2020. World Cup winner Mbappe failed to score against a defence which included Tuanzebe who played the full 90 minutes in Paris.

In a statement on the club’s official website, they said: “Tuanzebe, who famously got the better of Kylian Mbappe in our group-stage victory over Paris Saint-Germain in 2020/21, has been hugely unlucky with injuries during his time at United but returned to action on loan at Stoke City last season.”

Other players to have been released by United include Phil Jones, who spent 12 years at Old Trafford, as well as Northern Ireland midfielder Ethan Galbraith and Di’Shon Bernard. A number of youth team players have also left including Eric Hanbury, forward Manni Norkett and midfielder Charlie Wellens.