Tielemans: I'm very grateful to Aston Villa, but there are clubs better than Villa and Manchester...

This summer, the story of the relationship between Youri Tielemans and Manchester United finally got a happy ending. The Red Devils took a serious look at the Belgian back in 2019, when he impressed during his loan spell at Leicester, and again in 2022, while waiting in vain for Frankie de Jong's decision. Now that the 29-year-old has been in Belgium's World Cup camp, the Old Trafford board have acted decisively. The club activated the £35 million buyout clause, agreeing a five-year contract with the player. "I spoke to the club twice, but then nothing came of it. I was very calm and just focused on my football and the World Cup. But I knew about this clause in the contract. I am very grateful to Aston Villa, they brought me back to my best level. But there are clubs that are better than Villa, and Manchester United is one of them," recalls Tielemans. Although Tielemans made his professional debut for Anderlecht at the age of 16 and already has an incredible 668 appearances under his belt, he insists he is in top form. At the World Cup, he had to leave the warm-up before the quarter-final against Spain due to strain, but is now fully fit for the season. "It was just overload, too many games, too many minutes. We played 120 minutes against Senegal, then against the USA, and three days later against Spain. My body just shut down for some reason. But I'm not one of those people who absolutely need rest. If something goes wrong, I immediately warn the manager," he explained. Adaptation to Old Trafford should go smoothly, because Yuri met many acquaintances here: Johnny Evans and Harry Maguire (ex-partners at Leicester), as well as Marcus Rashford, with whom he played at Villa. Another advantage was the instant "chemistry" with captain Bruno Fernandes. The pair spent just 26 minutes on the pitch in a recent 1-1 friendly against PSG, but their interaction has already impressed the coaching staff. Tielemans' arrival potentially solves United's perennial problem of not having the crafty deep-lying playmaker that current manager Michael Carrick once had. "He wants me to be free on the pitch and try to organize the team as best as possible. He has his own structure, he wants to have the ball and press properly. It's just a feeling of football, something I've been doing since I was young at Anderlecht," Thielemans said of Carrick's demands. Fans also expect goals from the Belgian. Jury, who scored the winning goals in the 2021 FA Cup final and the Europa League final for Villa, was brief when asked about his goalscoring ambitions: "This is the goal."