Youri Tielemans has admitted his move to Manchester United came as a surprise to him this summer.
Manchester United completed the £35m signing of Tielemans from Aston Villa earlier this summer, with the Red Devils snapping up the Belgium international to add to their midfield options.
A release clause in the player’s contract made the move possible, with Tielemans heading to Old Trafford after three impressive seasons at Aston Villa, which included Europa League success in 2025/26.
Speaking to Sky Sports for the first time since the transfer, Tielemans said the move was unexpected. He said things happened quickly behind the scenes as he focused on success with Belgium at the 2026 World Cup.
“It was mainly my agent that was dealing with it, I was more so focused on the World Cup which was a big thing for me. When it was time that it was accepted and acceptable, I would say then I was made aware.
“I was not expecting much [a summer move], to be fair. I was just focused on my football, focused on the World Cup, trying to perform as best as I could for my country. Then every summer something can happen.”
Tielemans is set to reunite with Marcus Rashford at Old Trafford, following the latter’s loan spell at Aston Villa in 2024/25. Rashford is set to be reintegrated into Carrick’s squad for the new campaign after 18 months out on loan, a situation that Tielemans believes is positive.
“He was great. There had been so much talk about him and bringing pressure with the media around him, but I thought he was just so good.
“He was very humble, he was hard working and from the first training session, you could tell, his touch, his acceleration was amazing.
“That was just what we needed at the time at Villa as well so he did many good things and hopefully he can bring them here.”
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