Because they are a bigger club than his former team, youri Tielemans has apologised to Aston Villa after admitting he joined Manchester United.
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But Tielemans had no qualms about joining United, who finished one spot above fourth-placed Villa in the Premier League last season. The Belgium midfielder helped Villa end their 30-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League last season. Few would deny United have a far greater global profile than Emery’s men, but Villa supporters were upset by Tielemans’ suggestion this week that their club are smaller than the 20-time English champions. Tielemans, who joined Villa from Leicester in 2023, took to social media to make peace with his old club. He is expected to make his first Premier League appearance for United in their season opener at Hull on August 22.
“There are clubs above Villa, and Manchester United is one of them,” he said recently. Tielemans, who scored in Villa’s Europa League final win against Freiburg, described his move to United as “the culmination of years of dedication since I first fell in love with football”.
