Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was impressed by the performance of midfielder Youri Tielemans during the 5-2 Premier League win over Ipswich Town on Sunday.
The Red Devils were second-best during the opening 30 minutes of the game yesterday and found themselves 1-0 down. However, they managed to pull level before the interval through Fernandes, who capitalised on a defensive error from the Tractor Boys.
United dominated proceedings following the break. Tielemans had an average first-half showing against the newly promoted side, but gradually improved and played well alongside Kobbie Mainoo, whose performance was described as ‘world-class‘ by Luke Shaw.
Shortly after the game, Tielemans took to Instagram to share his delight over his competitive home debut for the Red Devils. He posted: “First one at Old Trafford and what a game that was. Thank you for your support and onto next week.”
Fernandes was definitely impressed by his showing and described it as a ‘Top one’.
Here is a screenshot
Tielemans was not at his scintillating best against Ipswich, but showed more control as the game went on. He completed 91 percent of his passes, while winning six duels and making seven ball recoveries.
The £35 million signing created four chances for his teammates on the day, and should only improve with more minutes under his belt, given he needs to understand the strengths of the players around him.
Tielemans and Mainoo could be United’s regular central midfield pairing at least in the short term. The club still need more defensive resolve, which should come through Carlos Baleba pretty soon.
The Cameroonian only joined the club from Brighton & Hove Albion recently, but he may not feature until after the international break, given he is nursing an ankle injury sustained in pre-season.
United are presently 10th in the league standings with three points on the board. They will be aiming for a second-straight victory when they face Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
