Man Utd announce Tielemans shirt number as he follows in cult hero's footsteps

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Youri Tielemans will wear No.18 at

Manchester United

after completing his move to Old Trafford - taking on the shirt that was vacated by

Casemiro

.

The Brazilian has just departed following the expiry of his contract and left behind a number that has been worn by a number of United's modern day greats.

United activated the £35million release clause that was included in Tielemans'

Aston Villa

contract and have acquired a player who has been a consistent performer for years. The Belgian scored in Villa's recent

Europa League

final success, which proved to be his penultimate game.

Having worn No.8 at

Leicester

and Villa Tielemans will now wear 18 on the red side of Manchester, who have made moves to address their deficiencies in midfield.

Previous holders of the No.18 shirt at the Red Devils include Casemiro. Before the ex-Real Madrid star took on the number, captain

Bruno Fernandes

wore it before switching to his preferred No 8. Paul Scholes also sported the number on their backs.

Tielemans said on his decision to make the move: “It’s hard to describe just how proud I am to join

. Signing for such a special club feels incredible, it is the culmination of years of dedication since I first fell in love with football.

“I have had the privilege of experiencing success in the game and it has only increased my determination to achieve more. The ambition from everyone at the club is extremely clear; we are all determined to push for the biggest trophies over the coming years.”

United have moved for Tielemans after their move for Ederson was canned earlier this week. An agreement had been reached to sign the Atalanta midfielder, but they've since moved on. As well as adding the Belgian Michael Carrick has also landed Andrey Santos from

Chelsea

in a £50m deal.

Jason Wilcox, director of football, said on their latest capture: “Youri has consistently been one of the most outstanding midfielders in the

Premier League

throughout the past seven years."

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