Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
Manchester United are back in an all-too familiar situation, their manager is under pressure, and they may soon be looking at who can replace Michael Carrick.
Numerous potential options have already been mooted as potential Carrick replacements, Eddie Howe is said to be admired, while Julian Nagelsmann’s name has cropped up again too.
Unai Emery is said to be a dream appointment for United, and while there’s plenty to be said about the idea of Emery coming to Old Trafford, there’s one player in particular who could see his performances dramatically improve upon this appointment.
Youri Tielemans could be unlocked by Unai Emery
One player who will be over the moon if Emery is appointed by United is Youri Tielemans.
The Belgian, of course, worked under Emery at Aston Villa, and he played arguably the best football of his career in that Villa side.
Let’s not forget, when Tielemans joined Aston Villa he was a free agent leaving a recently-relegated Leicester City team – this was a player whose stock was low and his career needed rebuilding.
Emery managed to elevate Tielemans back to being an elite Champions League level player, and even beyond that, earning himself a £40m move to United over the summer.
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Unfortunately, Tielemans hasn’t really hit the ground running at Old Trafford – but that’s almost certainly more symptomatic of the entire team’s problems this season rather than purely a reflection on Tielemans’ levels.
Tielemans himself has directly credited Emery for making him a better player and a better person.
“He [Emery] has changed a fair bit since he’s been at the club and personally he’s improved me a lot as a player and as a man. I understand the game even better than before,” Tielemans said, via BBC.
“We saw last year so many times how important he was with his tactical tweaks. He’s going to be massive for us.”
We’ve seen what Emery can do with Tielemans at Villa, and he could well replicate that at United if he is appointed to replace Michael Carrick.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images
Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images