Youri Tielemans

I thought he was okay.

I can't, this Tielemans deal is looking spooky.

Like I can't understand it.

The only way it makes any sense is that if they thought Bruno was going in the summer, like, because what was he there for? Santos is getting a lot of stick.

Well, yeah.

Shocking display.

A shocking display from Tielemans.

Shocking display from...

Harry's got no pace.

What do you do? Tielemans, Santos, Menuhin, not mobile enough.

Not mobile enough.

they're too easy to

So they literally physically couldn't get out of their own half.

I mean, I'm not signalling them out because they used to play for us, but Tielemans genuinely didn't touch the ball in that first half for Man United.

Yeah.

And then he was hooked at half-time.

They've recruited him in field.

They've gone and got Santos, Tielemans, Belaba, all of whom may yet turn out to be good signings.

I mean, Tielemans just looks dead on his feet.

And perhaps that Villa midfield was working in such a way that it meant that, you know, his weaknesses were more covered by the players around him.

Belaba's only just come back from injury.

There definitely is a bit of that, too, though.

Before the season, it's like, oh, United, you've got this player here and this player there, and you've got Tielemans in, like 35 million, a bit of a bargain, one of the best players in the league last season.

And then they go out on the pitch, and I think this is probably where, and look, I would level a bit of blame with Carrick for this, but obviously the comeback is, well, he hasn't got enough players and the right players to be able to do anything else.

But there are an awful lot of United players, for one reason or another, that are just not playing in their correct positions, too.

and I know that's the point, they should have invested more in their defence, but you've got Jaro or Heaven playing as a left-back or right-back, and then Dalot's playing as a left-back when he's a right-back, and even further up the pitch too, you've got Tielemans playing as a 10 when he was a little bit further back for Villa last season, and maybe Mbumo starting up front when a lot of his success last season was coming from either side.

Cunha's been played out of position, and then again, I understand it comes back, well, the only senior striker they have is Joshua Xerxe, and the only senior left back they have is Luke Shaw and look it all filters back up but I do think that Michael Clark could be getting more out of this Manchester United team I think that's a fair thing to say and I think two things can be true I think most of the blame needs to be leveled at the people above and at the decisions that they've made but I also think it's a fair conclusion to come to that Michael Clark's probably just a little bit out of his depth at this stage

Off the Ball Breakfast

I'm talking players.

Tielemans, immobile midfield.

We buy Tielemans, Carrick has to pay him number 10 instead of in the two because he can't run.

They get Belaber last minute after signing two younger midfielders.

Season before that, they get Patrick Dargu, the most obvious wing-back you've ever seen.

Santos is not like a fucking person who everybody is, you know, fucking drooling to fucking sign, and he's not at the standard.

Then you had Mount on the left wing, Diallo on the right wing, Tielemans in that like 10 spot, Telemans is the least mobile player on earth, but he's got, he's got great range of passing and that kind of thing.

But like for how you need to be for how, like think about what Martin Odegaard does in that position for you.

Um, and then you had M Bumo up top, who's really a winger and not a striker.

They don't have a tactical plan.

If they do have a tactical plan, such as playing Tielemans and Bruno as some kind of false nines, which we did against Como, I think, just weird.

So I just...

I just don't see it.

Yeah, I mean, he clearly had to drop Bruno.

You can't have players publicly questioning you.

It was interesting that Tielemans didn't get a similar suspension because he said it in a kind of much more, I don't know, a bit more opaque way.

Yeah, yeah.

United go, okay, right.

Tielemans.

£40 million release course.

Ah! What a bargain! And then, Andre San...

And that is how football is now.

Justin, I think Charlie has a really important point there.

I think he's right that United kind of went around the edges, didn't they, with their midfield? You know, they lowballed in terms of they got Santos and Tielemans in.

They thought they were saving themselves some money.