Manchester United are being sued by former defender Axel Tuanzebe over claims of "clinical negligence", according to an exclusive report from The Telegraph. The 27-year-old, who now plays for Burnley, has filed a legal claim against his former club in the High Court, alleging poor "medical advice" during his time at Old Trafford.
Tuanzebe joined the Red Devils at the age of eight and captained the club at every level. However, after an injury-ravaged senior career - during which he made just 37 first-team appearances - he departed in 2023 on a free transfer. Remarkably, in just two seasons with the Tractor Boys, he featured more than he did across seven years with United’s senior squad.
As part of Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town side, Tuanzebe played a key role in their unlikely promotion back to the Premier League, seemingly putting behind him many of the struggles he endured during his time at the Theatre of Dreams. But now, it appears he's back with a point to prove - seeking compensation for injuries he believes were mishandled during his spell in M16.
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Tuanzebe
Tuanzebe’s injury struggles started when picking up a hip complaint ahead of a meeting with Liverpool in October 2019. Another knock suffered in a Carabao Cup clash with Colchester sidelined him for the rest of that season. A foot injury kept him out at the start of the following campaign, with another lengthy spell on the treatment table endured at the start of the 2022-23 season.
His fortunes improved after joining Ipswich, and then Burnley, but he did suffer a freak injury at the former in October 2024 when requiring surgery to save a thumb that he cut badly while doing washing-up. The Telegraph report says lawyers for Tuanzebe refused to comment on the lawsuit, filed around two years ago when he left the Old Trafford outfit, while mutliple outlets have sought comments from the club to no avail just yet.
Injuries continue to stunt the DR Congo international's career as he also suffered a hamstring injury which kept him out from the start of December to mid-January at the turn of 2025, while he then missed two more games with a broken thumb in March. He also strugged with "thigh problems" in April, which saw him miss one of Ipswich's final games of the season.