Youri Tielemans apologises to Aston Villa fans after ‘clubs above Villa’ remark

Youri Tielemans has been forced into an awkward climbdown after telling reporters that Manchester United rank among the clubs above Aston Villa, a remark that infuriated the supporters who watched him help end the club’s long trophy drought. The Belgian has taken to Instagram to admit his words were poorly chosen and to apologise to everyone connected with his former club, barely a month after completing a £35m switch to Old Trafford.

The controversy stems from an interview conducted at the Carton House hotel in Ireland, where United are based for pre-season. Asked whether he feared the chance to join them had slipped away, given that two earlier attempts to sign him had fallen through, Tielemans replied that Villa achieved wonderful things during his time there — winning the Europa League, for instance — but that some clubs still sit above them in the pecking order, United among them. He also spoke of the energy and optimism currently surrounding the camp, as Birmingham Live’s report on the apology details.

Villa supporters were quick to make their displeasure known. Social media responses ranged from a warning that he had guaranteed himself a hostile reception on his first return to Villa Park to claims that it was now easier to cheer against him, with others questioning why he had felt the need to add the caveat at all.

Tielemans has since rowed back. In a statement posted on Instagram, he insisted he had never intended to offend anyone or to belittle a club he respects deeply and to which he is grateful for the past three years, before conceding that his choice of words had been a mistake and promising to take more care in future.

Why the reaction has been so fierce

The strength of feeling is understandable given the bond Tielemans forged with the Villa support. He arrived at Villa Park in 2023 and quickly became a mainstay of Emery’s midfield, with his composure on the ball and eye for a decisive moment making him one of the first names on the teamsheet. His contribution to the Europa League triumph last season — the club’s first major honour in three decades — earned him genuine affection on the terraces, and his departure in the summer, after three seasons in the West Midlands, was marked by a heartfelt farewell message in which he said leaving was harder than any match he had ever played, and thanked supporters who had asked only for commitment.

It is that recent history that makes the remark so jarring. Villa have spent the close season strengthening a squad that reached the latter stages of European competition under Emery, and their supporters view the club’s standing as a point of pride. To hear a player who lifted the Europa League in claret and blue suggest, within weeks of leaving, that his new employers sit in a loftier tier was always likely to sting.

A reputation to rebuild

What happens next rests largely with the fixture list. When the two clubs next meet at Villa Park, the midfielder can expect a pointed reception, and his response will be scrutinised. For a player who left Birmingham with such warmth, the coming months will show whether an apology offered in August carries any weight with a fanbase that does not forget easily. Tielemans has been careful to stress his gratitude for the platform Villa gave him, and his readiness to move on, but the damage done by a single sentence will take considerably longer to repair.