Aston Villa captain John McGinn has admitted that Youri Tielemans' departure to Manchester United will be a 'big loss', revealing the unseen brilliance the Belgian brings to a club.
The 29-year-old swapped Villa Park for Old Trafford this summer, with the Red Devils reportedly signing the midfielder for £35 million. Tielemans makes the move after three seasons at Villa, during which he played 134 times across all competitions and scored 10 goals.
McGinn praises Tielemans' professionalism
McGinn is full of praise for the Belgium international, who he says brings a huge amount to a club off the field as well as on it.
'He's going to be a big loss for us,' the Scotland star said on Stick to Football. 'Unbelievable professional. Work rate, quality.
'Just a good teammate and all-round good guy, but he's got quality as well. He can find a pass, he can score a brilliant goal. I'm talking about the complete player here.
What Tielemans will bring to United
'I saw Jonny Evans talk about him a couple of weeks ago in the media and he said he's probably what United have been missing. We're going to lose him on and off the pitch, he's a top player and so determined to win.
'That's the one thing that I'll maybe miss from a lot of the players [who have left Aston Villa this summer], the mentality when the going's getting tough. I've got no doubts that Youri at United, he'll deliver that, definitely.'
McGinn says he had a totally wrong impression of the Belgian when he signed for Villa from Leicester in 2023, thinking he was out of shape at the time. The reality was quite the opposite, and Tielemans is an example for the rest of the squad in terms of professionalism.
'He's not got a flaw off the pitch'
Asked if Tielemans is a leader, McGinn said: '100 per cent. Talking, standards, he's not got a flaw off the pitch.
'I tried to find it. I tried to get him to have a can of Coke after the game or eat a cookie on the plane or something, but he's so driven he just does everything right, to the letter.
'You always find him in the gym. When he signed, I thought good player, [but] slow and unfit, looked a bit fat. That's what I thought. Then he took his top off and I'm like, woah, maybe not.
'That myth, I think he'll always have that with his body shape, but it's wrong. He's not going to burst away from you with speed, but that's not his game. He's fit as a fiddle and was really reliable for us.
'He's not afraid to get people's standards up, if you're not playing at his standards in training or his level, he'll let you know.'
Tielemans started with Andrey Santos and Bruno Fernandes in United's midfield in the shock 2-0 loss at Hull City on Saturday. Kobbie Mainoo came off the bench, and the Red Devils have since added Carlos Baleba to their squad in a significant midfield revamp over the summer.
Michael Carrick's side is back in action on Sunday when they take on another newly-promoted team in Ipswich Town.
