Youri Tielemans says joining Manchester United represents a “great achievement” in his career, but the Belgium midfielder is determined to do more than simply enjoy arriving at Old Trafford.
Manchester United made a third attempt to sign Tielemans this summer, completing a £35m move from Aston Villa while the 29-year-old was on World Cup duty. He signed a five-year contract after the club triggered a release clause in his Villa agreement.
The midfielder had previously held talks with United in 2019, after impressing during an initial loan spell at Leicester, and again in 2022. On that occasion, United had spent too long waiting to discover whether Frenkie de Jong would leave Barcelona.
“There had been two times that I spoke with the club, but it did not achieve anything,” Tielemans said.
“I was very calm. I was not expecting much this summer, to be fair. I was just focused on my football, focused on the World Cup and trying to perform my best for my country.
“But you know every summer something can happen, and obviously I was aware of the clause.”
Tielemans said he was grateful to Aston Villa for helping him rediscover his best form, but admitted Manchester United represented a step up.
“I am very thankful to Aston Villa. I owe them the world. It is a great club, we did amazing things, and they have put me back to my best level. But there are clubs above Villa, and Manchester United is one of them.
“It is a great achievement for any footballer to end up here. It means you have done well in your career. But it does not end there. I want to be successful.”
The relaxed midfielder was speaking in his first extended media interview since leaving Villa. He greeted each journalist personally and smiled when asked whether he could bring goals to Manchester United.
Tielemans scored Leicester’s winning goal in the 2021 FA Cup final and opened the scoring for Villa in their Europa League victory over Freiburg in May.
“That’s the aim,” he said when asked if he could contribute more goals.
He also appears to be developing a promising understanding with Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes. Club officials noticed the connection during last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg, although the pair spent only 26 minutes together on the pitch.
“It’s really natural,” Tielemans said. “He is a guy that can find space easily. I just try and find him so that he can move forward.”
Managing a heavy workload
Tielemans began his professional career with Anderlecht at the age of 16 and has made 668 appearances for club and country. He was forced to withdraw from Belgium’s World Cup quarter-final against Spain after suffering an issue during the warm-up.
“I feel very good, actually,” he said.
“In that last game, it was just an overload of too many games; too many minutes. Unfortunately, my body could not cope with it any more.
“We played 120 minutes against Senegal, then played the US a few days later, three days after that we played against Spain.
“In the warm-up, my body just switched off for some reason.”
Tielemans said he did not consider himself a player who routinely needed to be rested, although he accepted that managing the squad would be important across a demanding schedule.
“I do not think I am a player that absolutely needs a rest. Obviously, there are a lot of games, and the manager needs to manage the team, but when I am good, I am good.
“When it does not go well, I will know straight away and I will alert the manager. But it does not happen often.”
There have been familiar faces to help Tielemans settle at Manchester United. Jonny Evans, his former team-mate at Leicester, remains a close friend and gave head coach Michael Carrick a positive reference. Tielemans also played alongside Harry Maguire at Leicester, while Marcus Rashford was his team-mate at Aston Villa.
Rashford has since returned to his boyhood club after initially leaving for Villa following a difficult period and a fallout with Ruben Amorim.
“He was great,” Tielemans said.
“There had been so much talk about him, bringing pressure and the media around him, but he was so good.
“He was very humble and hard-working, and from the first training session you could tell his touch and acceleration was just amazing. That was what we needed at the time. He did many good things and hopefully he can bring them here.”
Tielemans’ arrival is intended to add a creative, line-breaking presence to a Manchester United midfield that has lacked a player capable of controlling matches and supplying passes through defensive lines since Carrick left the club in 2018.
His role could also give Fernandes greater freedom in advanced areas, while helping United dominate possession rather than relying primarily on counter-attacking football.
Tielemans spoke briefly with Carrick before completing his transfer and has spent the past 10 days learning what the manager expects.
“He wants me to be free on the pitch, to try and organise the team the best I can,” Tielemans said.
“He has got his structure. He wants to have the ball and wants to press in certain ways.
“It might be different than what I am used to, but it is logical things in my opinion.
“It is just smelling football, which is what I have been doing from when I was young at Anderlecht, you know.
“For me, nothing changes, but it just needs to gel together.”
