Youri Tielemans at Manchester United: a £35m release clause and Europa League final goal
Youri Tielemans joined Manchester United in July 2026, weeks after winning the Europa League with Aston Villa, following spells across Belgium, France and England.
Youri Tielemans arrived at Manchester United on 14 July 2026 after the club activated a £35 million release clause in his Aston Villa contract, signing a five-year deal. The Belgium captain, who wears the number 18 shirt, had just won the Europa League with Villa before completing his move.
Early career and the move to Monaco
Tielemans signed his first professional contract at the age of 16, and went on to make 184 appearances and score 35 goals across four seasons at Anderlecht. Besnik Hasi later moved him from a holding role into a more attacking one, and he won the league title twice with the club. At 16 years and 148 days old, he became the youngest Belgian to play in the Champions League, and in 2017 he was named Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year.
A move to Monaco followed in May 2017 for an estimated €25 million, where Tielemans spent two years in Ligue 1 before Leicester City signed him permanently in July 2019 for a fee of around £32 million. He made 195 appearances and scored 28 goals for Leicester, including the winning goal in the 63rd minute of the 2021 FA Cup final against Chelsea.
Tielemans then moved to Aston Villa on a free transfer on 1 July 2023. Across three seasons there he made 134 appearances, and the spell ended with Villa winning the 2025–26 UEFA Europa League, Tielemans scoring the opening goal in a 3–0 final win over SC Freiburg. His move to Manchester United followed a matter of weeks later.
Numbers at Manchester United
In nine appearances in all competitions during the 2026/27 season, Tielemans has started every match and played 664 minutes for Michael Carrick's side, creating 13 chances and providing two assists, alongside 11 shots and 17 tackles.
Those numbers follow a run of statistical output in the Premier League before his move. In November 2024, he set a Premier League record by completing 126 successful passes in a single match against Everton. During the 2025-26 season he broke 18.3 defensive lines per 100 passes, the highest rate among Premier League midfielders or attackers that campaign, and he led all defensive and central midfielders in the division for passes breaking two lines.
Captain of Belgium
Tielemans earned his first senior Belgium cap on 9 November 2016, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute for Steven Defour in a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, having first been called up to the senior squad in June 2015. He scored his first senior goal for his country against Russia on 21 March 2019.
He has gone on to represent Belgium at the 2022 and 2026 World Cups as well as Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, and Rudi Garcia appointed him permanent captain of the national team on 3 September 2025.
The 2026 World Cup
At the 2026 World Cup, Tielemans was selected in Belgium's 26-man squad. In the Round of 32 against Senegal, he scored an 89th-minute equaliser before converting a penalty in the 125th minute, as Belgium won 3-2 to reach the Round of 16. That double made him only the second Belgian player to score more than one goal in a World Cup knockout match, after Bernard Voorhoof in 1934.
Tielemans sustained a hamstring injury in the warm-up before the quarterfinal against Spain, with Hans Vanaken replacing him in the starting lineup, and Belgium were eliminated after a 2-1 defeat.
Key numbers
- £35 million release clause activated by Manchester United on 14 July 2026 - 134 appearances for Aston Villa across three seasons - 1 goal scored in the 2026 Europa League final, a 3-0 win over SC Freiburg - 184 appearances and 35 goals for Anderlecht across four seasons - 195 appearances and 28 goals for Leicester City - 9 appearances, 2 assists and 664 minutes for Manchester United in 2026/27 - 126 successful passes completed against Everton in November 2024, a Premier League record