Town defender in national team squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers

Town defender Axel Tuanzebe has been picked to the DR Congo squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Senegal and Togo.

The Congolese will face Senegal in Dakar on Thursday, June 6th, followed by Togo three days later in Kinshasa.

Tuanzebe, 26, has yet to win his first cap for his native country, having switched international allegiance in March from England, where he grew up and competed at the U19, U20, and U21 levels.

DR Congo is presently third in their qualification group, one point behind leaders Senegal and Sudan in second, after winning one and losing one of their first two games. The winners advance directly to the World Cup finals, while the runners-up face a playoff.

Tuanzebe joins the Blues in September after being released from Manchester United at the end of 2022/23.

The centre-half or right-back’s contract expires this summer, although the Blues have an option for another season. He made 19 starts and three substitute appearances for Town last season, scoring one goal.

Tuanzebe has the most Premier League experience of any player in the current Blues squad, having appeared in 28 games, 19 for the Red Devils and nine for Aston Villa.