Axel Tuanzebe returned to Manchester United's starting XI last night for the first time since December and it was like he'd never been away.The 22-year-old was thrown into the lion's den by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer against Paris Saint-Germain due to Harry Maguire and Eric Bailly both being absent through injury.Tuanzebe was asked to try and nullify Paris Saint-Germain's star-studded attack and the Congo-born centre-back proceeded to do so with serious authority.The United academy graduate pocketed Kylian Mbappe and played a key role in the Red Devils' 2-1 win at the Parc des Princes.Tuanzebe was already popular among the club's fans prior to last night's Champions League game, but he's now even more so due to both his performance and his 'elite' post-match interview.
Speaking after the game, the England youth player said: "For us, we came here to win.
"We are in this competition to compete. We showed PSG respect but ultimately, we are the bigger team and we want to dominate and get the three points."
Tuanzebe's last competitive game for United came against Colchester United and the defender was asked for his thoughts on coming up against Neymar, Mbappe and Angel Di Maria this time around.
The United man replied: "You pay them the respect but at the end of the day you focus on your own game and try and do your best for the team. Like I say, we came out here to win."
A very mature head on young shoulders and it's no wonder Solskjaer made him captain against Rochdale in the Carabao Cup last season.
One United fan in the reply section wrote: "'We show PSG respect, but ultimately we're the bigger team, and we want to dominate.' Captain material."
Another quipped: "Elite mentality... Proper academy player!"
This guy is a star in the making and you can watch some of Tuanzebe's world-class defending against Mbappe below.
Rarely do you see centre-backs - or anyone - keep pace with the French superstar and Tuanzebe's return to first-team duties was perhaps the reason why United didn't invest in a new centre-back this summer.