Manchester United have completed three permanent signings in the summer transfer window, with some huge praise dished out for one of them
Michael Carrick has been told that Manchester United have completed the signing of the summer
Michael Carrick has been told that Manchester United have completed the signing of the summer(Image: (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images))
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John Obi Mikel has revealed his shock at Manchester United getting Youri Tielemans for just £35million and has already named him as the signing of the summer. The Belgian officially joined United from Aston Villa in mid-July with a deal so cheap because of a release clause in his contract.
Tielemans was not initially a United target, with transfer talks only starting after the Reds opted against signing Ederson from Atalanta due to a potential long-term issue that arose in a medical.
A hamstring injury at the World Cup placed some doubt on Tielemans' fitness. However, he passed his medical tests and subsequently became United's third summer signing in 24 hours, following the arrivals of Karl Darlow and Andrey Santos.
A total of £85m was spent to sign the latter and Tielemans, which is quite the steal given how much Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Elliot Anderson have cost, with Mikel making it very clear, through some expletives, just how much he loves the 29-year-old's signing.
When asked for his favourite out of all those big midfield transfers, he said on The Obi One podcast: "For me, it's Youri Tielemans. Honestly... how the f*** did Manchester United get him for £35million? That's a f****** steal. I watched him before and during the World Cup, and you can see that this is a player.
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Obviously, we all know how Tielemans plays, he can play as a six, an eight or a ten and when you have a player that can play anywhere, it gives you the variety to change the way you want to play. Tielemans is that guy.
"He scores goals, he's dangerous from set pieces, he's brilliant on the ball, and he rarely gives it away. The only thing people can say is that he's not the quickest, but he reads the game so well.
"He is very intelligent with and without the ball. When I look at all the midfielders that have transferred to different clubs [this summer], the best one is Tielemans."
Youri Tielemans in Manchester United training
Youri Tielemans arrived to Manchester United pre-season training last week
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While United have done some shrewd business this summer, they are arguably being left behind by other Premier League clubs that have sanctioned more arrivals in recent weeks.
Michael Carrick's side are expected to complete more signings before the window closes, with midfield and left-back the areas they want to strengthen.
Lewis Hall of Newcastle United is their priority target in the latter position, with Barcelona target Jorge Salinas a potential alternative. Antonee Robinson is the latest to be linked with a move to Old Trafford, given the difficulty expected in prising Hall away from Newcastle.
In midfield, AS Roma star Manu Kone is a concrete option, while Real Madrid duo Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni are also of interest. A move for either seemingly depends on Los Blancos making a move for Rodri.