Manchester United completed the signing of Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans on a five-year deal last week, with assistant coach Jonny Evans playing a key role in the transfer. Evans, who made 127 appearances alongside Tielemans at Leicester City, provided a character reference that helped convince manager Michael Carrick of the Belgium captain's suitability for the squad.
Evans' Influence on the Deal
Tielemans credited Evans with helping to get the deal over the line. "I haven't spoken to Harry [Maguire] yet, but yeah, Jonny, he's been a big influence," Tielemans told the club's in-house media. "He spoke with the manager about me, my character, and my personality. I've always kept in touch with Jonny. He's such a great guy."
Evans returned to Old Trafford to assist Darren Fletcher during his interim charge and was kept on by Carrick after his appointment. The pair have worked closely together, with Carrick trusting Evans' opinion on potential signings.
Evans' Glowing Assessment from Leicester Days
Evans' opinion of Tielemans has been well documented. In 2019, the defender spoke highly of the midfielder and the dressing room environment at Leicester City. "Getting Tielemans on a permanent deal was a massive statement for the club," Evans explained. "He came in last season and lit the place up. When he came back after his loan spell and signed for us, it gave everyone a massive boost. He had big teams in for him, but he wanted to come back to Leicester. It showed he could see the huge potential we’ve got in our squad. We’ve got a great bunch of lads, a great dressing room and there’s no real egos in there, which is fantastic."
United's Emphasis on Character
Having the right characters in the dressing room has been a priority for Manchester United in recent years. Director of football Jason Wilcox emphasised the importance of this approach last season. "It is so important. I think you have to bring players in that bring something different to the changing room," he said. "The most important thing is that, whenever we bring in a player, they have to want to improve and they have to be a team player, and understand what it means to be part of a successful team. It is not about putting the Harlem Globetrotters together. If I look at successful Man United teams, there were very functional players that would die for the badge and there were some mavericks. When you talk about [Eric] Cantona, when you hear anybody talk about him, he was an ultimate professional."
Wilcox also noted the positive atmosphere at the club's training ground. "When I look now and I see the car park... When the report time is 9.45am, you see the lads coming in at 8.30am, 8.45am, preparing for training, and this is a good sign. The mood on the training pitch hasn't really changed, the intensity on the training pitch and the noise level hasn't really changed, winning or losing. Of course, when you lose a football match, there is a lot of disappointment and a lot of frustration but, once they are on that training pitch, the character, the team spirit, you can feel it, you can feel the energy growing and we have just got to keep it going."
Tielemans is the latest player United hope will fit seamlessly into the dressing room. Evans' glowing assessment from his Leicester days suggests he will.
