Tielemans: I want to be among the team's leaders

Manchester United's new signing, Youri Tielemans, has given his first interview as a Red Devils player. The Belgium national team captain made a surprising move to Old Trafford earlier this week after United triggered his £35 million release clause from Aston Villa. The midfielder expressed his delight at joining the 20-time champions and eagerly anticipates his debut. He emphasized the difficulty of playing at Old Trafford as an away team and is keen to experience it from the home side.

“I’m really looking forward to my debut. Michael Carrick was a midfielder himself, so he can offer me a lot of advice, and I can learn from his insights. I’m eager to get to work, meet my teammates, and learn from Carrick. I have a good amount of experience, being 29 years old, and I’m ready for the next step in my career and a new challenge, and I believe this is the perfect club for that. I feel the same ambition within the club that I have myself. I want to win, and I hope to perform really well on the pitch. That’s precisely why I chose to come here. It’s great for me to be one of the leaders in the team; I think that’s a role that comes naturally to me, and I hope to bring that to the club. I’m very ambitious and ready to compete, and when you’re at a club of this level, you want to fight for the biggest trophies. However, everything needs to happen step by step. The second half of last season was really good under Michael Carrick’s leadership, with many victories. There’s a lot of quality in this squad; some very smart signings were made last summer, and it will be a pleasure to play with these footballers,” Tielemans stated.

The Belgian midfielder will wear the number 18 shirt, a significant number for a player in his position, as it was famously worn for years by Manchester United legend Paul Scholes. Tielemans will now go on holiday after participating in the 2026 World Cup, as FIFA regulations grant him three weeks of rest following his team's last match.