Youri Tielemans joined Manchester United in July 2026 by triggering a £35 million release clause from Aston Villa, signing a five-year deal while on Belgium World Cup duty [1, 2, 3]. The 29-year-old midfielder was calm during the transfer, focusing on the tournament rather than anticipating a move [1].
Tielemans, who has previously played for Anderlecht, Monaco, and Leicester City before Aston Villa, spoke highly of his former club, saying, “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” [1].
During the 2026 World Cup, Tielemans captained Belgium to the quarter-finals but had to withdraw from the quarter-final match against Spain due to a physical issue during the warm-up. He described the reason for pulling out as his body "just switched off" and cited a heavy workload leading up to the match [2, 3].
At Manchester United, Tielemans aims to add goals and is developing a partnership with club captain Bruno Fernandes [1]. Manager Michael Carrick said Tielemans "wants me to be free on the pitch, to try and organise the team the best I can," expecting the midfielder to have the freedom to control play [2, 3].
Tielemans comes into the club with 668 appearances across club and country [1]. Manchester United will start their 2026-27 Premier League season on August 22 against Hull City [2, 3].
