Youri Tielemans says Manchester United tried to sign him twice before he eventually joined from Aston Villa for £35m last month, after the club triggered his release clause.
The Belgium international, 29, had been linked with Manchester United during the tenures of both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag. He finally moved to Old Trafford this summer, having spent seven and a half years in the Premier League with Leicester City and Aston Villa.
Tielemans scored in final victories in both the UEFA Europa League and FA Cup during his time in England. He had not expected to leave Villa after helping the club qualify for the Champions League and win the UEFA Europa League.
“I spoke to the club twice, but nothing came of it, so I remained calm. It didn’t happen immediately after Anderlecht, but much later. I didn’t speak to Solskjaer, no,” Tielemans said.
He added that there were no other serious offers for him after Manchester United abandoned their £35m pursuit of Atalanta midfielder Ederson.
“Mainly my agent was handling it. I was more focused on the World Cup, which was a big deal for me. So I left everything to him. I only found out about the situation when the time was right and the terms were acceptable. I was very calm about it. The transfer opportunity came, and if it had to happen, it would happen.”
“I’ve been linked with this club a few times before, but it didn’t work out, but that’s just how things are. I just keep working hard and doing my best on the pitch, and then everything will happen naturally.”
Tielemans had previously spoken to Manchester United assistant coach Michael Carrick. He also knows Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire from his four-and-a-half years at Leicester City.
Maguire signed a new contract with Manchester United in April, while Evans joined the club’s coaching staff in January after retiring from playing last year.
Tielemans said he wanted to understand the manager’s view of him before completing the transfer, although contact was limited until the clubs had agreed on the move.
“Before signing, you always want to know what the manager thinks of you. I think it’s very important to have a good relationship with the manager. But unless the club agrees first, you can’t really speak to him directly. So I only had a brief chat before, and it felt right, with more conversations happening later.”
He said Carrick had encouraged him to take greater responsibility in possession and help organise the side.
“He (Carrick) wants me to be more free on the pitch and try to organize the team. Obviously, he has his principles, and I will just try to do what he asks, and then add my own characteristics. I think for any player, finally coming here is a great achievement. It shows that your career is going well, first that the club has been watching you, and then you finally come here.”
Tielemans, who had been at Manchester United for about 10 days when he spoke, said the move represented an important step but that his work had only just begun.
“But it’s not over yet. You know, I just want to succeed, but it’s a process. After all, I’ve only been here for about 10 days, and I want to win.”
The midfielder also hopes to continue playing alongside Marcus Rashford, who spent a four-month loan spell at Aston Villa last season.
Tielemans described Rashford as an outstanding player despite the scrutiny surrounding him.
“He’s excellent. There’s a lot of talk about him, a lot of pressure and media attention. But I think he’s really fantastic. He’s very humble and works very hard. From the first training session, you could see how amazing his touch and acceleration were. That’s exactly what Villa needed at the time, so he did a lot of good things during that period, and I hope he can bring those here too.”
