Tielemans explains move from Villa to Manchester United

Manchester United midfielder Youri Tielemans has shared why he left Aston Villa. He believes United is a step up from his old team.

Tielemans moved to Manchester United for £35m this summer after the club activated his release clause. This finally ended a long transfer talk that had not led to a deal before.

The Belgium international mentioned that United had tried to sign him twice before. The first time was in 2019 after his good loan spell at Leicester City. The second attempt came in 2022.

As reported by BBC Sport on Wednesday, Tielemans said, “There had been two times that I spoke with the club, but it did not achieve anything.”

The midfielder said he did not expect to leave Villa this summer. He was focused on playing for Belgium in the World Cup.

“I was very calm. I was not expecting much this summer, to be fair. I was just focused on my football, focused on the World Cup and trying to perform my best for my country,” he said.

But Tielemans knew a transfer was possible because of the release clause in his Villa contract.

“But you know every summer something can happen, and obviously I was aware of the clause,” he added.

Even though he has left Villa, the 29-year-old praised the club for helping him find his best form again.

“I am very thankful to Aston Villa. I owe them the world. It is a great club, we did amazing things, and they have put me back to my best level,” Tielemans said.

Still, he feels that Manchester United is a bigger club.

“But there are clubs above Villa, and Manchester United is one of them,” he said.

Tielemans sees joining United as a big achievement in his career. But he made it clear that he is not just going to sit back and relax after the transfer.

“It is a great achievement for any footballer to end up here. It means you have done well in your career,” he said.

“But it does not end there. I want to be successful.”

Now, Tielemans will work to make his mark at Old Trafford. He wants to help United compete for major trophies after finally making a move that had been discussed before.