Evans: ‘Leader’ Tielemans ‘one of the best professionals I’ve seen’

Jonny Evans has poured praise on his former Leicester City teammate Youri Tielemans, whom he’s now working with at Manchester United.

Although the pair won’t be sharing the pitch again, Evans’ role as a first-team coach means they will be in close proximity daily.

What did Evans have to say about Tielemans?

Weighing in on United’s newest recruit, the veteran defender told MUTV: “I played with Youri for four-and-a-half seasons at Leicester, so I know exactly what he’s capable of

“He’s a leader. In fact, that was one of the first things the manager (Michael Carrick) asked me. He wanted my opinion when the opportunity arose to recruit him.

“He’s one of the best professionals I’ve seen in football. He always gives 100% and pushes everyone around him to excel.”

For the Foxes, both Evans and Tielemans made history when being part of the squad that claimed Leicester’s first-ever FA Cup in 2021, with the midfielder playing a direct role by scoring the only goal of the final.

Youri Tielemans: scorer of one of the great #EmiratesFACup Final goals 💫 pic.twitter.com/ZlrZSv5ra2

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) July 14, 2026

Tielemans waiting to make his mark in M16

Tielemans will be looking to make his second appearance for the Reds tonight – and potentially even his first start – when Carrick’s men take on rivals Leeds United in Ireland.

He made a brief cameo off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday and completed 100 per cent of his passes attempted (21/21).

Ahead of today’s encounter, Tielemans revealed that United actually tried to sign him twice in the past before succeeding with their third attempt this summer.

Youri Tielemans reveals #mufc tried to sign him twice before he joined: 'There have been two times that I spoke with the club, but it did not achieve to anything… I think it is a great achievement for any footballer to end up here.' pic.twitter.com/XcGFCPhaRd

— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) August 12, 2026

A deal was more straightforward this time around thanks to the £35 million release clause Aston Villa had inserted into his contract, which rendered them powerless when it came to reluctantly sanctioning his exit.

He made the switch to Old Trafford with a whopping 244 Premier League appearances to his name, while the Belgium captain is also fresh off the back of being crowned a Europa League champion.