Youri Tielemans: Ashley Young perfectly explains why Man United’s £35m signing will prove a masterstroke | OneFootball

1

The Youri Tielemans switch from Aston Villa to Manchester United caught many by surprise.

While plenty knew of the Red Devils’ long-standing interest in the former Leicester City midfielder, it came during a period when United were being linked with some of the most exciting young midfielders the Premier League has to offer. Few imagined Tielemans would be the one they landed.

In fact, the transfer came out of the blue. Seemingly out of nowhere, news broke that INEOS were closing in on a deal for the Belgian midfielder after agreeing to activate his £35 million release clause. A medical followed a day later, and the deal was confirmed shortly after.

Only one concern, but the Tielemans transfer has been well received

Some have raised concerns about Tielemans being 29 years old, though beyond that, there seems to be widespread agreement on what a game-changing signing he could prove for the 20-time English champions.

And speaking on TSR Football, Ashley Young could not have put it better when explaining what smart business INEOS have done in adding the Belgian to their midfield.

Young rates the transfer

Asked to rate the signing out of ten, he responded: “Nine and a half [out of 10].”

Pressed on why, he explained: “What a player, going from one of my clubs to another one of my old clubs. So, you know, he’s been, he’s been brilliant.

“Every time we played against him, he’s been a tough opponent. He sees passes, he creates, he can score goals, he can score free kicks.

“So, United are getting a very good signing. I think Carra’s [Michael Carrick] done a very good bit of business there.”

Tielemans will come good

Tielemans already looks set to come good for the 20-time English champions, having offered a glimpse of that during his cameo against European champions Paris Saint-Germain last weekend.

In 28 minutes on the pitch, he completed one hundred per cent of his passes and made nine carries, an impressive showing for such a brief outing.

With Mason Mount likely to miss the Leeds clash, and suggestions that his injury against Paris Saint-Germain could be worse than first thought, there is a chance United try a Tielemans and Andrey Santos midfield pairing. It will be interesting to see how that fares.