Youri Tielemans reveals reason for joining Manchester United

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The Peoples Person

16 July 2026

New

Manchester United

midfielder

Youri Tielemans

has explained why he made the move to Old Trafford this summer.

The Red Devils

are working to upgrade their midfield before the start of the new season following Casemiro’s departure this summer.

The Premier League giants are in the market for an ideal midfield partner for

Kobbie Mainoo

, who enjoyed a stellar end to last campaign. The Englishman has already signed a new contract with United and is expected to be heavily involved next season.

The Red Devils were previously linked with several Premier League midfielders, including Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, who have moved to Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur respectively. United were also close to securing the services of Atalanta’s Ederson before performing a late U-turn and abandoning the deal.

The English giants have since

confirmed

the arrival of Andrey Santos from Chelsea. Earlier this week, INEOS

moved quickly

to add Tielemans to their squad in a bid to add more Premier League experience to the middle of the park.

Tielemans

arrives at the Theatre of Dreams with a wealth of experience, having spent over seven seasons in the top tier of English football. The Belgian has made close to 250 appearances in the Premier League to date, registering 26 goals and 37 assists.

Last season, Tielemans played a starring role in Aston Villa’s march to the Europa League title, even scoring in the 3-0 win over Freiburg in the final. The 29 year old ended the campaign with two goals and seven assists in 35 appearances across all competitions for the Villans, 28 of which were starts.

Source:

Transfermarkt

Tielemans had been linked with a move to United on previous occasions as well, although the transfer had failed to materialise. However, the Red Devils have now finally managed to get their man.

Speaking to the club’s

media

, Tielemans said that he is excited to start a new chapter at the Theatre of Dreams. He said: “I think it’s a great step up for myself. The club is in a great place, and I feel like there is a lot of ambition inside the club.”

“Inside the team, there’s a lot of quality and I feel like this is a good step for me to push on and hopefully win many, many titles with the club. I’m very happy and very excited to start, and to meet my team-mates and be on the pitch together.”

Tielemans went on to explain why United are perfect for him, adding: “I have big experience, 29 years old and I’m ready to push on and make the next step in my career. That’s why this is the perfect club for me.”

“They want to win and, hopefully, be really good on the pitch, so that’s why I chose to come here. Being in that leadership role has been really good for me. I find myself naturally in that and, hopefully, I can bring that into the team.”

Tielemans wore the armband for his national team at the 2026 World Cup and his leadership qualities will be a fine addition to United’s dressing room. The

Belgian’s

tactical expertise, vision and passing ability could also make him a fine fit in Michael Carrick’s team next season.

Featured image Stu Forster via Getty Images

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