Sports11 August, 20262 min read
Youri Tielemans Says Marcus Rashford Can Make Major Impact at Manchester United
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Tielemans completed his transfer to Manchester United this summer. He reunites with Rashford at United, linking past Aston Villa partnership.
Tielemans reunites at Old Trafford
Youri Tielemans says Marcus Rashford can make a major impact at Manchester United this season after being reunited with his former Aston Villa team-mate at Old Trafford. Tielemans believes the move is “third time lucky,” recalling that United looked seriously at him in 2019 and again in 2022 before triggering a £35m release clause in July while he was on World Cup duty.
He also linked the timing of his switch to the clause and said, “There had been two times that I spoke with the club, but it did not achieve anything,” as he described being focused on his football and the World Cup. Tielemans’ arrival comes as he prepares for his first competitive campaign at Old Trafford, with Rashford expected to establish himself back in the first-team picture during Manchester United’s pre-season preparations under Michael Carrick.
Evans, Rashford praise and quotes
Tielemans is also enjoying working again with Jonny Evans, who is now part of Michael Carrick’s coaching staff, and he said, “It is a bit weird to see him as staff member, to be honest, but no, it is going great.” In his first extended media interview since joining the club, Tielemans described Rashford’s return to Manchester United by saying, “He was great.”
Tielemans added that there had been “so much talk about him, bringing pressure and the media around him,” but that he thought Rashford was “so good,” while also praising him as “very humble and hard-working.” The BBC also reported that senior Manchester United officials noticed Tielemans’ partnership with skipper Bruno Fernandes in Gothenburg last weekend, even though the pair were only on the pitch together for 26 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain.
Release clause, career load, next steps
Tielemans’ United deal is described by the BBC as a five-year contract after the £35m release clause was triggered from Aston Villa, making this summer his third attempt to join the club. He said he was “not expecting much this summer, to be fair,” and explained that he was “just focused on my football, focused on the World Cup and trying to perform my best for my country.”
The BBC also detailed how his World Cup workload affected him, with Tielemans saying he had to pull out of Belgium’s World Cup quarter-final clash with Spain after experiencing an issue in the warm-up and describing an “overload of too many games; too many minutes.” Looking ahead, the BBC framed his aim as success at Old Trafford, while Football Place reported that Tielemans and Rashford are expected to feature prominently as Manchester United continue their pre-season preparations under Michael Carrick.