Since arriving from Aston Villa for £35 million in July, Tielemans has quickly become a regular in the starting XI. The Belgium international, now 29, has started all five of United’s opening Premier League fixtures this season, establishing himself as a key distributor in the midfield.
In an appearance on the Inside Carrington podcast ahead of United’s return to league action, Tielemans discussed building relationships with his teammates through his passing. He identified Bruno Fernandes as a standout when it comes to finding space in pockets to receive passes. He noted that Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo are also consistently positioning themselves in similar pockets to receive his passes, effectively matching Fernandes in that regard.
“The connection is about the technical link between the passer and the players in the pocket,” Tielemans said. “Naturally, you’re going to find Bruno, Cunha, and Mbeumo who are in that space.”
Beyond those in-pocket connections, Tielemans emphasized his work with wide players and other midfielders to strengthen link-ups across the pitch. He highlighted Marcus Rashford, Patrick Dorgu, Amad Diallo, Andrey Santos, and Kobbie Mainoo as examples of teammates with whom he is developing partnerships to improve frontline and midfield coordination.
United currently sit in 12th place as they head into the international break, with a return to Premier League action scheduled against Tottenham at Old Trafford. The match is set to kick off at 5:30 pm UK time on Saturday.
