'A f*cking steal!' - John Obi Mikel hails Manchester United’s £35m Youri Tielemans masterstroke

Former Chelsea midfielder Obi Mikel considers United's deal to sign Tielemans the best midfield acquisition of the summer at an exceptionally bargain price.

Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, Mikel offered glowing praise for United's success in capturing the player, stating: "For me, it’s Youri Tielemans. Honestly, how the f*ck did Manchester United get him for £35m? That’s a f*cking steal. I watched him before and during the World Cup, and you can see that this is a player."

Mikel then delved deeper into the tactical flexibility provided by the Belgian international: "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."

Similar appreciation was voiced by former Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld, who believes Tielemans' primary asset is his courage to take risks and play progressive forward passes.

In an interview with Hajper, Alderweireld dissected the specific qualities needed at a club of United's stature: "The problem with modern football is that sometimes we look too much at stats like assists and goals. Of course, Youri Tielemans creates assists and scores goals, and can shoot from outside the box and score free kicks, but he is so much more than that.

"Tielemans is a link up player, and you have to watch him to understand why he is so important to his teams, not just look at his stats, because he is always trying to play the ball forward. You have some midfield players who have a pass success rate of 98% but they are always playing the ball backwards. Tielemans is a guy who turns, opens up and plays the ball between the lines, and that’s very important for a club like Manchester United who need to break other teams down."

Alderweireld also emphasised his compatriot's strong mentality when bearing the weight of high expectations at Old Trafford: "Even when he’s playing in a deep role, he’s playing it in an attacking way. He’s thinking about going forwards, always. Sometimes he will lose the ball but that’s what happens when you take some risks in games to make things happen, and I think that’s something United need, and he has the mentality to be brave and positive under the big pressure of the shirt.

"He will put in ultra big effort and say to his team-mates, give me the ball and let me change the game for you. He will take the responsibility to take Manchester United forward."

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