One of Unai Emery’s Aston Villa stars could be handed the captain’s armband by his country during the March international break after another Premier League ace was ruled out of the friendlies with injury.
The last time the Aston Villa man captained his national team, a side under the stewardship of Steven Gerrard were in the midst of a four-game losing run, beginning their alarming slide towards the relegation zone as a side containing Bertrand Traore, Ashley Young and Philippe Coutinho slipped to a 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal.
Exactly two years to the day, and amid suggestions that Youri Tielemans could don the armband again for Belgium, Villa are going into the March break in a much better place, even if disappointing returns against Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham have done little good for their Champions League ambitions.
Tielemans, meanwhile, has enjoyed a return to form after a difficult end to his Leicester City career. It’s been a season of redemption – of sorts – for the 26-year-old summer signing, even if Tielemans is yet to convince every member of the Villa Park crowd of his qualities.
Aston Villa ace could captain his country
With 65 caps to his name for the Belgian national team, meanwhile, Tielemans is a relative elder statements in a rather youthful squad these days. And with Domenico Tedesco losing Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois to injury – and with 37-year-old Jan Vertonghen not guaranteed to start – Het Nieuwsblad reports that Tielemans could lead the Rote Duivels out for the first time since March 2022 when Belgium face the Republic of Ireland and England later this month.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the intensity that the former Anderlecht player put into his performance,” former Belgium defender Philippe Albert told Sud Info after Tielemans silenced his doubters during the most recent international break back in November, Tedesco’s side triumping 1-0 over Serbia.
“He has been going through a little hell since his transfer to Aston Villa. He is on the bench more often than he plays. At his age and given his status, he cannot afford to remain in the shadows any longer.”
Tielemans, in the last three months, has belatedly established himself as a regular fixture in Emery’s starting XI.
Youri Tielemans is on the way back
“He must play, and play well!” Albert added. “Which was the case against Serbia. His service, notably for (striker Lois) Openda, was of a quality rarely seen these last two years.
“His return to form is obviously far from being confirmed, but he is on the right path.”
The sight of Tielemans striding onto the pitch with the armband around his bicep would represent another big step in the right direction.
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