Jamie Carragher Questions Youri Tielemans Transfer to Manchester United
Jamie Carragher has raised serious questions over Manchester United’s move for Youri Tielemans, arguing the £35m transfer from Aston Villa feels like a career path played in reverse.
Tielemans, who arrived at Old Trafford last month on a five-year deal, is expected to be central to Michael Carrick’s midfield rebuild. Yet Carragher cannot shake the feeling that United have come late to the party.
Speaking on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, the former Liverpool defender described the moment the doubt crystallised for him. He had been watching the UEFA Super Cup clash between PSG and Aston Villa before flicking over to ITV, where United were facing Leeds.
“The thing with Tielemans, I was watching the [UEFA] Super Cup [between PSG and Aston Villa] and I’d just seen that Man United were on ITV playing Leeds, so I put it on,” Carragher said.
“It just came to me a little bit – Tielemans was taking a corner, and it come to me, he’s a good player, don’t get me wrong. But you’d almost feel like he should have been at United a few years ago, then gone to Villa – not being at Villa, then gone to United.
“I’m not saying he’s had his best days, but it almost felt like the wrong way round. The last three years should have been at United, and then he gets sold to Villa.”
For Carragher, the Belgian’s move is less about ability and more about timing. In his eyes, United are buying a player they once needed, rather than one who fits the ideal trajectory of a modern elite signing.
If Tielemans’ arrival raised eyebrows, United’s failure to land Mateus Fernandes drew outright criticism.
The club held talks with West Ham over the highly rated Portuguese midfielder but walked away from the £85m price tag. That hesitation opened the door for Tottenham Hotspur to step in and complete a blockbuster deal, leaving United to watch a coveted target head to a direct rival.
Carragher admitted he was taken aback by the decision.
“I was a little bit worried when I saw United linked with Fernandes because I thought that could be a good signing,” he said. “I just looked at him and his age and was surprised United didn’t go for Fernandes.
“They said it was too expensive but was it that expensive? I know £85m is a lot but you’re never going to get a really top midfielder now for £50m.”
The concern is clear: United talk about a long-term rebuild, yet when a 21st-century-style marquee midfielder comes on the market, they hesitate. When they do spend, it is on a player like Tielemans, whose peak years might already have brushed past the club.
Paul Scholes, looking at the same squad, believes the gaps are still obvious.
The former United midfielder pointed to the spine of the team as the area that most urgently needs attention before the window shuts.
“A priority position for United... think of a position where it’s needed most,” Scholes said. “We’ve got players who can cover the forward areas – I think [Matheus] Cunha can play centre-forward, and [Bryan] Mbeumo can play centre-forward. And you’ve still got – I don’t know what’s going to happen with Marcus Rashford, but again, there’s another option in that area. I still think either centre-half or central midfielder is a priority.”
United, then, head into the new season with their recruitment strategy under the microscope. Tielemans has the pedigree and the platform. What he does not have is universal backing from the pundit class, who question whether he represents the kind of aggressive, forward-facing move required to drag the club back to the very top.
As the Red Devils prepare to open their Premier League campaign against newly-promoted Hull City on Saturday, the noise around their summer business refuses to die down. Tielemans now walks into a midfield that must convince doubters on and off the pitch.
Carragher has made his verdict clear. The only response that matters will come from Tielemans in a United shirt, with the ball at his feet and the season stretching out in front of him.
