Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick has heaped praise on Leicester City star Youri Tielemans after his goal and performance against the Red Devils in the FA Cup at the weekend.
United were far from at their best as Leicester earned a convincing 3-1 win at the King Power Stadium, with Tielemans scoring a fine solo effort to pile the misery onto Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
Chadwick is a big fan of Tielemans, and has suggested he could be a player worth targeting for Man Utd as Donny van de Beek continues to struggle.
MORE: Former Man United star points out what Solskjaer got wrong as win at AC Milan followed up by Leicester defeat
The Netherlands international just hasn’t made the desired impact since joining from Ajax in the summer, with Chadwick admitting he’s starting to wonder if his time at Old Trafford will be a short one.
“I don’t think he (Van de Beek) did enough. Obviously it was a wonderful dummy for Mason Greenwood’s goal, which was fantastic, but I don’t see how he’s going to do enough if he plays so sporadically,” Chadwick told CaughtOffside.
“I think he needs time to play, but where do you find a place for him in the team if his preferred position is the number ten position? Because Bruno Fernandes has to play there, he’s by far the most effective player in the team.
“I do worry for Van de Beek if Ole can’t find him a position somewhere else in the team. I don’t think Fernandes is the sort of player who is going to get a lot of rest, he wants to be one of the best in the world and play every game and probably could play every game with the fitness levels that he’s shown.
“I do have real concerns over where Van de Beek fits into the team. He’s been here for one full season, you sort of want him to do well after seeing what he can do at Ajax, but you do feel maybe his time at the club could be coming to an end.
“You could probably count the starts he’s made in the Premier League on one hand, which for a big-name signing is nowhere near enough for the club, or for him either.”
By contrast, Chadwick thinks Tielemans looks more like a Manchester United player and could link up well with Fernandes rather than competing for the same position.
The 40-year-old compared him favourably to Paul Pogba and didn’t hide his big admiration of the Belgian when asked about him as a possible signing to improve the team’s fortunes in midfield.
“Yeah I think he plays that sort of role where he’s got a bit of everything,” Chadwick said. “He’s played a deeper role when James Maddison plays, and it would be great to have someone like him to feed the ball into Bruno Fernandes.
“But he does the other stuff as well, he puts a shift in. When he came on loan to Leicester initially he was a revelation, one of the best midfielders in the Premier League in that period. I think when he signed permanently he had a dip in form, but he looks back to his best, and he’s had a massive role in Leicester’s form in the Premier League.
“Quite often we see players play well against United and we think ‘could we get him and could he do well in our team’ and I think he’s got all the attributes to be a Manchester United player, but he’s playing for Leicester, another top club. Would they be able to prise him away?
“Looking at United’s options in that area of the pitch, he’s very similar to Pogba. He’s an exciting player that might be worth looking into bringing in, but as with other top players it could be a challenge to get them through the door at United.”
No chance he’s leaving Leicester anytime soon. Scout your own players Man Utd. Besides he’s better off at LCFC, not many United players get into a fill strength Leicester side at present.