Manchester United have moved quickly—but seemingly out of nowhere—to sign Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans.
The Old Trafford club decided to walk away from an agreement to sign Éderson from Atalanta, amid reports that issues had been raised in two separate medicals he completed with the Red Devils. It’s not thought to have directly led to the switch in focus to Tielemans, yet the efficiency at which a deal has been concluded raises the possibility of a substitution born out of ruthlessness.
Tielemans stands to come in slightly cheaper than Éderson, whose £35 million ($47 million) transfer fee was set to be additionally inflated by small add-ons. Tielemans is available for a surprisingly low-hanging £35 million because of a release clause in his Aston Villa contract.
The Belgian is two years older than Éderson but is a well-established quantity in the Premier League after just shy of 250 appearances in the division for two high-performing clubs since 2019. Before an active role in Aston Villa’s emergence as one of England’s best teams, he was central to Leicester City achieving four straight top-eight finishes. He also scored the winner in the 2021 FA Cup final.
Tielemans is an accomplished passer, ball winner and long-distance shooter. Together with the signing of Andrey Santos from Chelsea, Manchester United could end up with two new, strong midfielders for the price it cost Tottenham Hotspur to sign Mateus Fernandes alone.
Tielemans’s Potential Shirt Numbers at Man Utd
There is one main number that Tielemans has a connection to, having routinely worn 8 on his back for Belgium since 2018, getting that number at Leicester in the summer of 2019 and also having it from the moment he stepped through the door at Aston Villa in 2023. The obvious problem for him now is that it belongs at Manchester United to Bruno Fernandes.
Tielemans has worn a collection of other shirt numbers during his career to date, breaking out with 31 at first club Anderlecht, then acquiring 17 upon joining Monaco. He began his Leicester career, which started in January 2019 after a winter transfer, in the 21 shirt. The player has had other jerseys for Belgium in his early international career, including 6, 16, 17, 18 and 24.
So while 8 is not available at Old Trafford, plenty of the others Tielemans has used in the past are. If the number 8 itself is of particular importance, then 18 could be a consideration following Casemiro’s departure. Fernandes had previously used that shirt before shedding the first digit in 2022.
Available Shirt Numbers at Man Utd
| Number | Last Worn by |
|---|---|
| 9 | Rasmus Højlund |
| 12 | Tyrell Malacia |
| 14 | Christian Eriksen |
| 17 | Alejandro Garnacho |
| 18 | Casemiro |
| 20 | Diogo Dalot |
| 21 | Antony |
| 27 | Wout Weghorst |
| 28 | Facundo Pellistri |
| 29 | Aaron Wan-Bissaka |
Shirt Numbers That Could Become Available
Significant departures, beyond those already released as free agents, aren’t really expected at Manchester United this summer. This transfer window is about building depth around a strong yet small core that was able to consistently win Premier League games in the second half of last season but wasn’t being tested with the demands of playing in multiple competitions.
