Napoli have confirmed the signing of Axel Tuanzebe on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season.
Tuanzebe, 24, spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Aston Villa and initially made seven appearances in 11 Premier League matches under Dean Smith.
But he soon fell out of favour when Smith was sacked and replaced by Steven Gerrard in November, with the new manager only affording him eight minutes of league action in his first nine games at the helm.
As a result, the United centre-back decided to cut his loan stint at Villa Park short and instead seal a six-month loan switch to Napoli.
The Italian club confirmed on Saturday that Tuanzebe will be joining them until the end of June, having been left short on defensive numbers after Kalidou Koulibaly departed to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal this month.
Luciano Spalletti will be hoping the defender can help his side, who currently sit third in the Serie A table, close the six-point gap between them and leaders Inter Milan.
They also have a crucial Europa League clash with Barcelona to come on February 17.
Tuanzebe joined United at the age of eight and went on to make his senior debut 10 years later after climbing through the club's youth ranks.
After spending two years on loan at Villa, he returned to Old Trafford from 2019-21 and racked up 19 appearances under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before heading back to the West Midlands side last August.
The Congo-born star was also handed a new two-year United contract that summer which includes the option for a further 12 months.