“I feel good” – Aston Villa star plays down fitness concerns, plan working perfectly

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Aston Villa star Youri Tielemans has insisted he is feeling good ahead of the World Cup, with a dual plan from club and country working so far.

RTBF report comments from the 28-year-old today following Aston Villa’s win over Bologna in the Europa League on Thursday evening.

Fitness plan working out

Youri Tielemans played 74 minutes in the 4-0 win, having also played 90 minutes in the 3-1 win over the Italian side in the first leg.

He also managed 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest last weekend. That was the first time he’d done so many minutes in the Premier League since January 18^th.

He had spent 57 days out with an ankle injury, the second significant injury that’s limited his minutes this season. Calf problems earlier in the season saw him miss 12 games for club and country, and 55 days, from September to November.

That’s why eyebrows were raised when he was a part of Belgium’s squad in the last international break. But the Aston Villa midfielder insists that inclusion was all part of the plan.

“I feel good. It took me a while to get back up to speed, but it was necessary,” he said.

“The US tour with the Red Devils did me a world of good. That was the plan, to regain my match rhythm. Everything was coordinated between the club and the national team.”

Telepathic relationship

The Aston Villa midfielder was also full of praise for national teammate Amadou Onana. The pair are now forming a formidable partnership at the heart of Villa and Belgium’s midfield.

Youri Tielemans is enjoying that development, insisting that the pair are almost telepathic at this point.

“We get along well,” he added.

“We can find each other with our eyes closed, and we always know where the other one is. It’s a natural chemistry that will serve us well in the future, whether with Aston Villa or the Red Devils.”