SHARE

At the weekend, Aston Villa allowed Leander Dendoncker to join Anderlecht on a loan deal with an option to buy.

The midfielder was limited to less than 1000 minutes of action from 30 games since Unai Emery arrived at Aston Villa in November 2022. The Villans let him spend the second half of last season on loan at Napoli.

Emery left him out of his plans this season, which saw the 28-year-old join the Belgian club on loan.

Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans is pleased with Dendoncker’s decision to return to the Jupiler Pro League side, and his comments are relayed by Het Laatste Nieuws.

The former Leicester City man and Dendoncker graduated from Anderlecht’s academy. They played together with their first team between 2013 and 2017 but couldn’t spend a lot of time on the pitch at Aston Villa.

Tielemans is of the belief his compatriot made the right choice by returning to Anderlecht.

“Leander has made that decision. He wants to play. He knows the structure at Anderlecht and has many playing opportunities, which is ideal. And he has stability for his family,” he said.

The 27-year-old has insisted he has an opportunity to follow Dendoncker’s footsteps and return to his former club.

“For me, the door to Anderlecht is always open, but I also have to look at my career. Other things first,” Tielemans explained.

The midfielder has a contract at Aston Villa lasting until 2027. He has played every minute in the league this season.