Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe joins Stoke on loan until the end of the season

Manchester United's Axel Tuanzebe has joined Stoke City on loan until the end of the season with no option or obligation to buy.

United see it as a good opportunity for him to resume playing after returning to fitness.

The 25-year-old has only recently returned from a back injury that had kept him out since July, and will join the Championship side after they lost fellow defender Harry Souttar to Leicester.

Tuanzebe has played just 15 league games for United since his promotion from the academy in 2015 and most recently played first team football during loan spells at Napoli and Aston Villa.

The Red Devils have blocked the departures of Facundo Pellistri and Anthony Elanga.

The Swedish winger had 11 clubs waiting to take him on loan, among them Leicester City and Crystal Palace, but all were left frustrated as the clock ticked down.

Pellistri has come off the bench in United's last two Carabao Cup fixtures against Charlton Athletic and Nottingham Forest, and was also subbed on during the 3-1 FA Cup fourth round win over Reading.

With United competing on four fronts, manager Erik ten Hag, who has been pleased with Pellistri's development and believes he will flourish further given opportunities, wants all options to be available.

The Red Devils will next be in action when they play Nottingham Forest in the second leg of their EFL Cup on Wednesday after winning the first leg 3-0. They will then face a quick turnaround before hosting Crystal Palace in the league on Saturday.