Ex-rival can’t help but hail Man Utd for their addition of ‘dangerous’ and ‘intelligent’ Red, he’s a game-changer
John Obi Mikel believes Manchester United have secured the signing of the summer following their addition of Youri Tielemans.
The midfielder made the switch from Aston Villa to United after his £35 million release clause was activated last month.
Youri Tielemans is United’s newest recruit
Tielemans immediately green-lit the move to Old Trafford, rendering Villa powerless in sanctioning his exit.
He had already overseen a hectic summer by captaining his native Belgium through to the World Cup quarter-finals, which came after a scintillating club campaign with Villa.
The 29-year-old ended 2025/2026 by being crowned a Europa League champion, while also playing an influential role in Villa finishing fourth upon the culmination of the Premier League term.
Now, Tielemans will be looking to continue pulling the strings in the middle of the park – but this time in red, and alongside a world-class counterpart in the form of Bruno Fernandes.
On Saturday afternoon, the new No.18 made his first outing in a United shirt when coming off the bench in a pre-season clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
In the half-hour he played, Tielemans completed 100 per cent of his passes attempted (21/21), showing fans just what they can expect when he’s representing the 20-time champions in the coming weeks.
What did Obi Mikel have to say about Tielemans?
Meanwhile, Obi Mikel is already confident that Tielemans will be a stellar addition to Michael Carrick’s ranks, as he said on his podcast: “For me, it’s Youri Tielemans (the best signing of the summer window).
“Honestly, how the f*** did Manchester United get him for £35m? That’s a f****** steal. I watched him before and during the World Cup, and you can see that this is a player.
“Obviously, we all know how Tielemans plays, he can play as a six, an eight or a ten. And when you have a player that can play anywhere, it gives you the variety to change the way you want to play. Tielemans is that guy.
“He scores goals, he’s dangerous from set pieces, he’s brilliant on the ball, and he rarely gives it away. The only thing people can say is that he’s not the quickest, but he reads the game so well.
“He is very intelligent with and without the ball. When I look at all the midfielders that have transferred to different clubs [this summer], the best one is Tielemans.”
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