Leicester City great Jamie Vardy has given a strong endorsement of Youri Tielemans after the midfielder’s headline-making move to Manchester United. The veteran striker believes his former team-mate has the “unbelievable” quality needed to become a game-changing presence for the Red Devils under Michael Carrick.

Vardy describes Tielemans as an unbelievable talent

Manchester United’s decision to activate the £35m release clause in Tielemans’ Aston Villa contract has been widely welcomed by those who know the Belgian best. Vardy, who spent four-and-a-half years alongside the midfielder at the King Power Stadium, has spoken of his excitement over the transfer.

“I just think he’ll start kicking on again if I’m honest,” Vardy said on his Jamie Vardy’s Having A Party podcast while discussing Tielemans’ summer move to United. “I played against him with Belgium, he was unbelievable and you were like, ‘Wow, who is this?’, because he was only young at the time. It then came through that we [Leicester] had signed him on loan at first and I remember going around all the lads and saying, ‘We’ve signed a player here!’, and I mean a really good player.”

A perfect fit for the Theatre of Dreams

The 29-year-old Belgium international has committed his long-term future to the Red Devils by signing a five-year contract that keeps him at the club until 2031. Tielemans has already made clear how pleased he is with the switch, calling Manchester United the perfect club for me as he aims to add more silverware to his collection.

After a successful spell at Villa Park, where he helped Unai Emery’s side win the Europa League title and secure a top-four finish, the midfielder is now concentrating on helping United return to the top of European football. “Inside the team, there’s a lot of quality and I feel like this is a good step for me to push on and hopefully win many, many titles with the club,” Tielemans told the club’s official media.

Dedication and leadership in midfield

Along with his technical quality, former Leicester captain Wes Morgan has pointed to the professional standards Tielemans will bring into the United dressing room. Morgan, who appeared alongside Vardy on the podcast, said the Belgian’s work ethic always stood out during their time together.

“What I’ve seen with Youri is dedication to his job,” Morgan explained. “I always used to see him in the gym, working extra hard and doing extra work. He was really working on improving himself. He never took it easy in training, he always gave it 100 per cent, but he’s another one that has that technical capability, that awareness and that speed of thought. I’m not surprised to see him go to the top and be at Manchester United now. Hopefully he’ll show everyone how good he is. He deserves everything that he’s got so far.”

Premier League debut awaits for Belgian star

Vardy repeated those views about the midfielder’s character and ability to settle within a squad, remembering how quickly he adapted to life in England. “He came in and straight away you could tell… the dedication, 100 per cent every day,” Vardy added. “He would then get in the dressing room and he was so down to earth, so normal. He was a real breath of fresh air for us at that time.”

Tielemans has already played for United during their pre-season programme, getting minutes against Paris Saint-Germain, Leeds United and AC Milan. With the Premier League season due to begin this weekend, attention will now turn to whether the Belgian is named in the starting line-up for the opener against newly promoted Hull City.