There is no debate that Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans should be starting for Belgium, particularly in the absence of Amadou Onana.
That’s according to Philippe Albert, who says there is no debate to be had that Tielemans should be starting for his country when they take on Azerbaijan on Sunday.
Tielemans has been earning rave reviews for his displays this week, having seemingly bounced back from a difficult start at Aston Villa.
He joined Unai Emery’s side on a free transfer in the summer and had expected to be a first team regular but has instead often found himself outside looking in at Villa Park to date as Emery has preferred other options in his midfield.
This had led to questions about his place in Belgium’s squad, where it was debated whether he should even be a part of the squad given his struggles at Aston Villa.
He proved a point earlier this week in the win over Serbia and earned praise from pundits, something Albert has continued today.
“Due to the absence of Amadou Onana, there should not even be a debate about this,” Voetbal Nieuws report him saying.
“If you manage to recover from such a long dark period with the national team and a start to the season in which you were ignored by your coach, then you show enormous mental strength.
“And when Kevin De Bruyne sends balls like that When he plays against Serbia, we all jump up and shout what a genius he is.”
