Manchester United are set to make Youri Tielemans the second signing of the 2026 summer transfer window, and upon arrival, he will be hoping one player in particular is still at the club come August.
There might not be a signing better this summer than Youri Tielemans to Manchester United, with the experienced Belgian costing just £35m, which is half his market value in this summer transfer window.
Tielemans will be a leader for United, but on the pitch he could have a huge impact on his teammates, such as Kobbie Mainoo and Andrey Santos. But Tielemans could also positively impact Bruno Fernandes.
His positive impact also extends to the forwards, but in particular he will be hoping to have Marcus Rashford as a teammate come next season, having been impressed with him when they played together at Aston Villa.
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What Youri Tielemans has said about Marcus Rashford
Tielemans played with Rashford at Villa during the second half of the 2024/25 campaign when the United forward was on loan at Villa Park.
Speaking about Rashford, as quoted by The Express, after an early performance for Villa, Tielemans hailed his new teammate.
“Very pleased, especially the way he is performing now and with the two assists today,” the former Leicester man said early on in that loan spell.
“Marcus is someone who can threaten everyone. He is very important for us in the way he plays because he gives us something different on the left-hand side.
“You could tell today every time he got the ball he was dangerous and hopefully with many more minutes in his legs he will only get better. “
Tielemans’ comments tell United why he should be reintegrated and what his fellow professionals think of him. This adding to the likelihood of Rashford returning as he is expected currently to come back.
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Rashford and Tielemans could be deadly for Manchester United
Having Tielemans and Rashford in the same team would be a brilliant duo for United, thanks to what they each offer.
Tielemans’ has incredible passing quality, capable of punching balls through the lines into space for on-running attackers with Rashford a player who loves these kind of balls and could perfectly suit the Belgian.
Rashford loves making runs in behind, with an issue in latter seasons at United being that nobody was able to find him with the right passes apart from Bruno Fernandes. But from deep, Tielemans now offers this.
At 29, Tielemans is another player with leadership and experience in an abundance, which could be key in helping the squad with the reintroduction of Rashford, a player who can help make Michael Carrick’s case to the forward.
Carrick seems keen on keeping Rashford and by signing players who can help him excel, he will only be continuing to warm to the idea with Barcelona now looking to be off the table.
Tielemans is an incredible signing for United and we cannot wait to see him debut.
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