Aston Villa Star ‘Has To Drop’ From Starting Lineup Believes Belgium Legend | OneFootball

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Belgium legend Marc Degryse has urged Red Devils boss Rudi Garcia to leave Aston Villa star Youri Tielemans out of the starting lineup.

The Belgian captain arrived at the World Cup on the back of another productive campaign at Villa Park.

The 29-year-old played a key role as the Villans secured a top-four finish and lifted the Europa League trophy for the first time in the club’s history, with the midfielder also getting on the scoresheet in the final.

Ahead of the tournament, Tielemans carried that form into Belgium’s warm-up fixtures, registering a goal and an assist across the two matches to further underline his importance.

While the midfielder warned against getting carried away ahead of the competition, there are expectations surrounding Belgium’s hopes.

The Red Devils opened their World Cup campaign with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Egypt however, popping the feel-good balloon.

Tielemans played the full 90 minutes in that encounter and lined up alongside fellow Aston Villa star Amadou Onana, a partnership he has previously spoken warmly about.

Degryse pointed to Belgium’s Nations League clash against Ukraine in March as an example of a midfield set-up that worked effectively and stressed that the emphasis should be on building the right trio rather than simply finding a partner for Kevin De Bruyne.

Degryse then made it clear that Tielemans should be the one sacrificed, arguing that even the captaincy should not protect the midfielder from being dropped as he does not enjoy the untouchable status of a player like Eden Hazard.

Degryse told Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws (via Voetbalkrant): “I remember the home match in the Nations League against Ukraine, we started that match with De Bruyne, Hans Vanaken and Nicolas Raskin in midfield.

“They were very good as a trio back then.

“The national coach must realize that he doesn’t just need to find a good duo behind De Bruyne.

“He needs to look for a good trio. Those guys need to complement each other.”

Speaking about what changes boss Garcia should make to his starting lineup, he added: “In that case, Tielemans has to drop from the starting lineup.

“And that is the Belgian captain.

“But surely you just make someone else captain?

“It’s not like Tielemans has the same impact as, say, Eden Hazard did back then.”

Rangers star Nicolas Raskin came on for Onana during the second half against Egypt.

Garcia’s side will next face Iran on Sunday, where they will hope to return to winning ways as they look to improve their position in the group standings.

Tielemans will also be eager to respond to the criticism by producing a strong performance on the pitch.

The midfielder was appointed Belgium captain in September last year and has yet to taste defeat in the role, a record he will be keen to preserve.