Youri Tielemans Just Said He Owes Aston Villa "The World" But Man United Are "Above Them" — And Villa Fans Are FUMING 🔥

Stop scrolling, because Manchester United's new £35m signing Youri Tielemans just gave his first interview since leaving Aston Villa — and his comments have sparked an INSTANT online debate.

The Belgium midfielder opened up about his summer switch from Villa Park to Old Trafford, and while he said some lovely things about his former club, one particular quote has Villa fans absolutely raging. "I owe them the world," Tielemans told BBC Sport. "But there are clubs above Villa, and Manchester United is one of them."

Yes, really.

Wait, He WASN'T Expecting The Move?

Here's the thing that makes this whole story even wilder: according to Sky Sports, Tielemans wasn't even expecting to leave Villa this summer.

"I was not expecting much this summer, to be fair," the 29-year-old revealed. "I was just focused on my football, focused on the World Cup and trying to perform my best for my country."

But then Man United came knocking — and they triggered a £35m release clause that Villa probably wish they'd never included in his contract.

This was actually the THIRD time United had tried to sign Tielemans. They looked at him in 2019 when he was tearing it up at Leicester, and again in 2022 when they were busy chasing Frenkie de Jong (spoiler: that didn't work out). Third time's the charm, apparently.

The Tea ☕

Here's what went down:

• Man United triggered Tielemans' £35m release clause while he was on World Cup duty with Belgium
• It's a five-year deal for a player with eight years of Premier League experience
• Tielemans says Villa "put me back to my best level" after joining them from relegated Leicester
• BUT he also said there are "clubs above Villa" and United is one of them 👀

The Reunion Tour

There are some familiar faces helping Tielemans settle in at Old Trafford, and this is where it gets interesting.

He's reuniting with Jonny Evans, his former Leicester teammate who apparently gave manager Michael Carrick a glowing character reference. He also played briefly with Harry Maguire at Leicester.

And then there's Marcus Rashford.

Plot twist: Rashford spent time on loan at Villa last season after his dramatic fallout with former United boss Ruben Amorim, and he was Tielemans' teammate there. According to BBC Sport, Tielemans had nothing but praise: "He was great. He was very humble and hard-working, and from the first training session you could tell his touch and acceleration was just amazing."

Now they're back together at United. Circle of life, football edition.

What He Actually Said About Villa

To be fair to Tielemans, he DID say some genuinely lovely things about his former club.

"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," he told BBC Sport.

He also praised their Europa League triumph over Freiburg in May, which he scored in.

But then came that line about United being "above them" — and you can't unring that bell.

The World Cup Drama

There's also some context here about Tielemans' recent struggles. He had to pull out of Belgium's World Cup quarter-final against Spain last month after experiencing an issue during the warm-up.

"My body just switched off for some reason," he explained to BBC Sport. "It was just an overload of too many games; too many minutes."

Belgium had played 120 minutes against Senegal, then faced the US a few days later, then Spain three days after that. The 29-year-old has made his professional debut at 16 and has already played 668 games for club and country. That's… a lot.

But he insists he's feeling good now and ready to hit the ground running at United.

What Happens Next

Manager Michael Carrick has already been impressed by what he's seen in pre-season. Senior United officials noticed Tielemans' developing partnership with captain Bruno Fernandes in the 1-1 draw with PSG last weekend — even though they were only on the pitch together for 26 minutes.

"It's really natural," Tielemans said about playing with Fernandes. "He is a guy that can find space easily. I just try and find him so that he can move forward."

Carrick wants Tielemans to be "free on the pitch" and help control games — something United have struggled with in recent years. The hope is that he's the scheming midfielder they've been missing since Carrick himself retired in 2018.

No pressure, then.

So here's the question: Did Tielemans need to say United are "above" Villa, or was he just being honest? And are Villa fans right to be fuming, or should they appreciate everything he did for them?

Team Tielemans or Team Villa? Sound off below. 👇

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Sources:

• BBC Sport: I owe Villa the world but Man Utd are above them - Tielemans
• Sky Sports: Youri Tielemans on joining Man Utd, reuniting with Marcus Rashford and Jonny Evans