Tielemans’ move to Manchester United
Youri Tielemans has joined Manchester United after previous interest from the club in 2019 and 2022. The move was finalised in July while the midfielder was on World Cup duty, with Manchester United triggering a £35m release clause to secure him from Aston Villa on a five-year deal. Tielemans noted that he had spoken with the club twice before without a transfer materialising, stating he was calm and focused on his football and the World Cup this summer.
The midfielder expressed gratitude to Aston Villa, acknowledging their role in helping him return to his best form. He views joining Manchester United as a significant achievement in his career, indicating a desire for continued success at his new club.
Adjusting to the new team and manager’s vision
Tielemans made his professional debut for Anderlecht at the age of 16. He has integrated with the Manchester United squad during their pre-season tour, making his first appearance in a 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg. He described adjusting to manager Michael Carrick’s vision as natural, comparing it to “smelling football” from his youth.
Carrick’s approach involves a structured system where he wants the team to maintain possession and press in specific ways. Tielemans, who had a brief discussion with Carrick before his move, noted that these principles are logical and align with his long-standing football instincts. He believes that following these principles will allow him to utilise his offensive qualities, particularly in the final third.
A partnership with captain Bruno Fernandes appears to be developing, with club officials observing their connection during the match against Paris Saint-Germain, despite them only being on the pitch together for 26 minutes. Tielemans described their interplay as “natural,” highlighting Fernandes’ ability to find space, which he aims to exploit to facilitate forward movement.
Injury concerns and familiar faces
Tielemans addressed concerns about his injury history, including a hamstring problem sustained during the warm-up before Belgium’s World Cup quarter-final against Spain. He stated that the issue was due to an “overload of too many games” and minutes, leading his body to “switch off.” Despite this, he does not believe he is a player who requires frequent rest, asserting that he will alert the manager if he feels unwell, though this is uncommon.
He has played 668 games for club and country throughout his career. Last season, he was limited to 25 starts in the Premier League due to injury. Tielemans left Belgium for Monaco in 2017, then joined Leicester in 2019, and subsequently signed for Aston Villa four years later.
Upon joining Manchester United, Tielemans found familiar faces, including former Leicester teammate Jonny Evans, who provided a positive character reference to Michael Carrick. He also played briefly with Harry Maguire at Leicester and with Marcus Rashford at Aston Villa. Tielemans spoke positively about Rashford’s time at Aston Villa, praising his humility, hard work, and “amazing” touch and acceleration, expressing hope that Rashford can bring these qualities to Manchester United.
Source: bbc.com