Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel has heaped praise on his former club’s midfielder Youri Tielemans.
After joining Aston Villa as a free agent, the 29-year-old showcased his qualities in the Premier League under Unai Emery. He helped the Villans finish in the top four twice and guided them to the Europa League glory last campaign.
Having been impressed by his performances, the Red Devils decided to purchase him last summer. However, he has displayed inconsistent performances thus far this season, registering three assists in 13 appearances across all competitions.
Following a poor display vs AFC Bournemouth last weekend, Tielemans lost his place in Michael Carrick’s starting line-up. However, he helped United beat AS Roma last night despite trailing 2-0 at the interval. The Belgian was introduced as a second-half substitute following Carlos Baleba’s hamstring problem.
Now, speaking on CBS Sports after the game, Schmeichel says that Tielemans ‘changed the game’ completely after coming on as a substitute. Furthermore, the pundit claims that this was the Belgian’s best performance for United as he showed leadership and drove the team forward, which is brilliant to see.
Schmeichel said:
“Carlos Baleba goes off injured early in the second half and you’re thinking, this can’t get any worse. But Youri Tielemans came on and he changed the game.
“That’s the best I’ve seen him play for Man United and I’m so pleased for him. He came into that midfield and he drove the team forward and he was a leader, it was brilliant to see. That for me can be a big turning point.”
Pundit heaps praise on Man Utd’s Tielemans
Tielemans likes to be deployed in the deep-lying playmaker position and can provide cover in the creative midfield position if needed. But the No.10 isn’t his best position, and he displayed a poor performance vs Bournemouth in this role.
Apart from the Belgian, United currently have Kobbie Mainoo, Carlos Baleba, Manuel Ugarte and Andrey Santos as deeper midfielders. However, the Cameroonian is likely to remain sidelined for an extended period due to the injury that he sustained last night.
On the other hand, Ugarte is set to be unavailable for selection throughout this season owing to a serious knee issue, which he sustained during the World Cup with Uruguay last summer.
Meanwhile, Man Utd are set to face Aston Villa in the Premier League this weekend before the November international break.
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