Credit: Imago

Max Wilkins

Sun 29 March 2026 7:40, UK

Youri Tielemans let himself down on international duty with Belgium away from Aston Villa.

The 28-year-old has recently returned from injury, so his departure to link up with the Red Devils has been watched closely in B6.

There have been hopes that his minutes would be managed with fears of a potential injury relapse after months out very recently.

He returned to Villa Park against West Ham last time out and has now played another 20 minutes as a substitute for his country.

Tielemans was brought on against the USA on Saturday, but hardly covered himself in glory during his cameo off the bench.

Youri Tielemans drops stinker for Belgium vs USA

The Villans are in desperate need of the central midfielder’s services and won’t want him to suffer a further injury lay off.

Avoiding any further fitness problems will be all any Villa fan wants after his patchy record since moving to B6 in 2023.

Supporters will be delighted to learn that Tielemans didn’t suffer any injuries against the United States and played the full 20 minutes.

They may be disappointed to learn that the 28-year-old cost his side a late goal after being caught napping on the ball inside his own area.

Senne Lammens played the ball into his feet before Ricardo Pepi stepped in to intercept a pass after closing the Villa man quickly.

Derby County’s Patrick Ageymang was the beneficiary as he fired an effort into the far corner to hand the US a consolation goal in a 5-2 defeat.

Villa fans had a close eye on Tielemans with Belgium, but wouldn’t have expected him to be caught out like he was.

How did Aston Villa star Tielemans vs USA?

The B6 ace was afforded 20 minutes off the bench and wasn’t afforded many opportunities to show his quality.

Tielemans had just 15 touches and completed eight accurate passes, while making one error that led to a goal in front of over 66,000 people at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

He also maintained a zero per cent pass accuracy and chipped in with just one defensive action, which isn’t really ideal.

The midfielder at least won one ground duel but lost all of his aerial duels while committing two fouls on the night.

There isn’t much positive to say about Tielemans’ performance in America, but hopefully, he gets his errors out of his system before a Villa Park return.