Exclusive: René Meulensteen names the Manchester United signings he expects most from

René Meulensteen believes Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba will prove to be key for Manchester United this season.

The former United coach has backed the midfielders to prove themselves to be vital additions to Michael Carrick’s squad.

Manchester United spent the summer rebuilding their midfield after giving their forward options the same treatment last year.

The midfield rebuild started with the €53.6m deal to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea. Youri Tielemans was then added to the mix in a €41m deal from Aston Villa.

Midfield rebuild at Manchester United

Manchester United then spent the rest of the window seeking a third addition. They eventually turned to Carlos Baleba late in the window. They spent a hefty €75.9m to sign him from Brighton.

He’s yet to feature as he battles back from an injury. But there have already been glimpses of what Santos and Tielemans will add to the Red Devils midfield makeup in the early stages of the season.

When asked by Sport Witness which three Manchester United players he sees performing the best this season, Meulensteen turned his attention to the midfield.

“If you ask me which of the three midfield signings, I expect the most from, I would say Tielemans and Baleba over Santos,” he said.

“I really liked what I saw from Baleba at Brighton. He is a powerful, explosive player. And Tielemans brings that composure and intelligence.”

Youri Tielemans experience

The former Manchester United coach believes that Youri Tieleman’s experience – particularly at Aston Villa – could prove crucial to helping the younger players in the Champions League.

“If you play a midfield pairing of Baleba and Mainoo, you’ve got a very young dynamic,” he added.

“You can get away with that in certain home games at Old Trafford. But in tight matches or the Champions League, you probably need Tielemans’ experience in there to add a little bit of composure and calmness to the midfield.”

René was speaking to Sport Witness on behalf of BestBettingSites.