Manchester United added Youri Tielemans as their third signing of the summer on Tuesday, and two club legends have very different takes on what it means for the rest of the league.
Gary Neville thinks Aston Villa fans should be furious and everyone else should be nervous. Paul Scholes is happy but not convinced the midfield is fixed. And Nicky Butt is just glad the recruitment team finally picked up the phone.
Let’s start with the signing itself. Tielemans, 29, has been one of the Premier League’s most consistent midfielders for Aston Villa over the last few seasons. United triggered his release clause worth £35 million, which is roughly €41 million. He completed his medical on Tuesday and the deal is done. That’s three in the door now, after Andrey Santos and Karl Darlow arrived earlier this summer.
Neville’s warning to the rest of the league
When asked on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast whether United’s rivals should be worried, Neville didn’t hold back.
“They should ask Aston Villa that,” Neville said. “Since they are worried, everyone else would be worried. Aston Villa never wanted to sell him. His contract sold him.”
Neville broke down what would have happened without that release clause. “United would’ve spent the whole summer negotiating. Villa would’ve spent the whole summer increasing the price. Go back to Casemiro’s transfer. Now add today’s market. Do you honestly think Villa would’ve accepted €41 million for their best player? If there was no release clause the negotiations would’ve started at ‘not for sale.’ Then moved to €71 million. Then probably ended somewhere above that.”
His blunt conclusion: “The hardest part of this transfer was probably Tielemans making sure he never missed Manchester United’s call. Aston Villa never got the chance.”
That’s the kind of signing that can shift the balance in the league — getting a proven top-tier Premier League player for well below his actual value, and taking him from a direct competitor in the process.
Scholes and Butt on what’s still missing
Scholes was more measured. He called Tielemans “a very, very good footballer” and praised the fee. “£35m for him, that’s a phenomenal signing,” he said. But then came the caveat: “Still need two midfielders in there.”
He explained why. “I can’t see Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo playing together. No. They still need someone in there and whether that’s the Santos kid…”
Butt pushed back on the worry, framing it as squad building. “We’re trying to build a squad and not just the starting 11. If you want to compete in all four competitions that we’re in this year, you have to build a squad and he is phenomenal.”
Scholes agreed on Tielemans’ quality. “He brings great experience. Really good player and he knows the Premier League. He is a very, very good player.”
So the consensus among these three is that Tielemans is a steal at that price, but United probably aren’t done shopping in midfield. Whether that next addition is Santos getting more minutes or another signing entirely remains unclear. For now, United have a veteran midfielder who can slot straight into the lineup and a reminder that sometimes the best transfer business happens when you find the right release clause.
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