Youri Tielemans has publicly backed Manchester United boss Michael Carrick, urging the club's hierarchy to show patience despite a poor start to the season. The Belgian midfielder, signed by the club over the summer, said he came to United partly because of Carrick and believes stability is needed to turn results around.
Carrick took permanent charge in the summer after an impressive interim spell, but United have won just one of their three games in Europe and one of eight in the league. Criticism has come from within the squad, with Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes both raising questions about the manager. Fernandes later held clear-the-air talks with Carrick.
Tielemans calls for stability
Speaking to TNT Sports, Tielemans said: "I came here partly because of [Carrick], because he wanted me here. He wanted me to help the team out. So I'm very happy for him to stay, and the whole group, we don't want a sudden change. We don't want a big change that is going to disrupt things more than they are. We just need stability, we need to keep working hard, and it's going to turn at some point."
He added: "Since I've come in, he's always done his work. He's tried to put a system in place that we all feel comfortable in. I joined this summer, because he convinced me to come over and help the team out. I can only speak positively about him, and everyone in the changing room would do the same. We all just need to stick together and turn this situation around."
Tielemans was one of three central midfield additions over the summer, along with Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba, as United targeted a new area of the pitch following last year's attacking rebuild. He has also come in for criticism after a slow start to the season.
History suggests time is short
Tielemans has been in a similar situation before. In early 2019, Claude Puel brought him to Leicester from Monaco, but results under the French boss were concerning. Two defeats in Tielemans' first two games contributed to a run of four points from eight games, with an FA Cup defeat at fourth-tier Newport County also in that period.
Puel was not given time to turn it around, and successor Brendan Rodgers arrested the slide, securing a top-half finish in his first season. The next two were even better, with Leicester coming close to Champions League qualification under the former Liverpool boss.
Make-or-break run ahead
Of course, 2026/27 Manchester United and 2018/19 Leicester City are not the same proposition. Recent years have shown how difficult it is for a manager of any calibre to get change out of the Red Devils, and Carrick's success as interim boss may be what has brought him this much patience already.
The three games before the international break are likely make-or-break. After Saturday's trip to Chelsea, United will host Roma in the Champions League and another of Tielemans' former clubs, Aston Villa, in the league.
The Belgian international has already made clear what he wants to happen. However, if he can't do his part on the pitch, then things in the dugout could be out of his hands, and history shows that isn't necessarily the worst thing.
