Youri Tielemans' Manchester United Struggles are a Compliment to Unai Emery and Aston Villa

One of the interesting things about Aston Villa's summer transfer window is that so many of the players who departed are never particularly far away from our television screens. Morgan Rogers has made a very encouraging start to life at Chelsea, Ezri Konsa has generally performed well since moving to Arsenal, while Emi Martinez has had a slightly more up-and-down time of things. Given how important all three were to Villa, and how much discussion there was about replacing them, it's only natural that I find myself keeping an eye on their progress, but of all the players who left during the summer, the one who seems to be having the toughest time of things is Youri Tielemans at Manchester United.

I watched Tielemans again last night, operating in a number ten position that we occasionally saw him occupy during his time at Villa, and I couldn't help but think how far removed he looks from the player we watched flourish under Unai Emery. He looks a shadow of his former self at the moment, struggling to influence matches in the way we became accustomed to and looking increasingly uncomfortable in a Manchester United side that seems to be heading towards yet another turbulent season. His post-match interview was particularly striking because he looked visibly shaken by what had unfolded, and following Lisandro Martinez's explosive comments after the game, I do wonder whether Tielemans is already beginning to question quite what he's walked into.

I've watched a fair bit of Manchester United this season, partly because they're on television so often that it's almost impossible not to, but also because I've been genuinely interested to see how Tielemans would adapt to his new surroundings. I loved him as a Villa player and thought he was absolutely brilliant for us, particularly once Emery had worked out exactly how to get the best out of him. He played an enormous part in what Villa achieved, scored in a European cup final and ultimately left the club in a manner that I thought was respectful. There wasn't the sort of unnecessary drama that can sometimes accompany high-profile departures, and although I was disappointed to lose him, I could understand why a player might be attracted by the opportunity to join Manchester United, regardless of the respective positions of the two clubs.

Despite all of that, I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a certain sense of satisfaction in watching him struggle. That isn't because I have anything particularly against Tielemans, because I don't, and I certainly wouldn't want to diminish what he contributed during his time at Villa. It's more that his difficulties at Manchester United are another reminder of just how good an environment Aston Villa have become for players under Emery, and how leaving that environment doesn't automatically mean you're going to find something better elsewhere. In fact, looking at the respective situations of the two clubs, I think there's a very reasonable argument that Tielemans has left a football club that knew exactly what it was doing to join one that still appears to be searching for answers to questions it has been asking for years.

There is a wider point to make about Tielemans as well, because his career either side of working with Emery is quite revealing. When Villa signed him from Leicester City, he wasn't arriving on the back of the best period of his career. He had been part of a Leicester side that was relegated, his individual performances had been questioned and there were certainly doubts about whether he could rediscover the levels that had previously made him one of the Premier League's most highly regarded midfielders. Even his first few months at Villa weren't particularly straightforward, with Emery demanding more from him and Tielemans having to work his way into a side that was already functioning very well.

What followed was a brilliant example of Emery's ability to improve players, but also his understanding of how to construct a team that allows individuals to flourish. Tielemans has always possessed outstanding technical ability, his range of passing is excellent, he's intelligent in possession and when he's given the time and options to dictate play, he can be one of the most influential midfielders on the pitch. There are deficiencies in his game, though, particularly when matches become stretched and he's asked to cover large areas or defend in situations that don't suit him. Emery didn't suddenly turn Tielemans into a different type of footballer, he recognised what he was exceptionally good at and developed a structure that allowed those qualities to come to the forefront while limiting the situations that could expose him.

Perhaps the most revealing comments Tielemans has made since leaving Villa came when he was discussing the differences between training at Manchester United and what he had become accustomed to under Emery. He described training at United as "a little easier" and said there were "less sessions" compared to Villa, which I thought was particularly interesting at the time, but looks even more relevant given how things have unfolded since. I don't think those comments were necessarily intended as criticism of Manchester United, and different managers will naturally have different approaches to preparing their players, but it does offer an insight into the demands Emery places on his squad and the environment Tielemans was operating in. We know how meticulous Emery is, how much emphasis he places on preparation and how hard his players have to work to understand exactly what he wants from them, and Tielemans was arguably one of the biggest beneficiaries of that approach. He went from a player who had been struggling towards the end of his time at Leicester to one of the most influential midfielders in a Villa side competing at the highest level, and I don't think that's a coincidence. It's also quite revealing that a player can leave Villa for Manchester United, openly acknowledge that the training demands are lower and then find himself struggling to reproduce the performances that made him such an attractive signing in the first place. That doesn't mean the difference in training intensity is responsible for his struggles, but it certainly adds another layer to the argument that Tielemans left an environment which was getting the absolute maximum out of him.

That's what makes his current situation at Manchester United so interesting to me, because I'm not convinced we're watching a player who has suddenly lost his ability. We're watching a player who has moved from a team with a very clear identity, where he understood his responsibilities and the movements of those around him, into a side that looks far less coherent. Tielemans could receive the ball at Villa knowing where his passing options would be, how his teammates would position themselves and what was expected of him in different phases of possession. That understanding takes time to develop, but it also requires a manager and a coaching structure capable of creating it in the first place, something Emery has demonstrated consistently throughout his time at Villa.

Tuesday night's Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid was another example of United's problems, and the reaction afterwards suggested that their difficulties extend beyond what is happening on the pitch. Lisandro Martinez openly questioned the club's recruitment and leadership, with his criticism of technical director Jason Wilcox particularly notable. Tielemans, meanwhile, spoke about the need for United to trust their structure and stick together, but when he was asked about Martinez's comments, he declined to offer an opinion. It was hardly the sort of atmosphere you would want to find yourself in as a relatively new signing, particularly when you're already struggling to reproduce the performances that made you such an important player at your previous club.

It must be a difficult situation for a player who left Villa having experienced the complete opposite. There was a clear plan at Villa, a manager who knew precisely what he wanted from his players and a football club that, despite the financial challenges it has faced, has generally looked joined up in its thinking. Manchester United still have enormous resources, an extraordinary history and the ability to attract top players, but none of those things automatically create a successful football team, and we've seen enough evidence over the last decade to know that signing good footballers isn't necessarily going to solve the underlying problems.

I don't think we should completely write Tielemans off, and I'd be surprised if a player of his quality didn't eventually start producing better performances. He's only been at United for a few months, he's adapting to new teammates and a different way of playing, and it's perfectly possible that Michael Carrick will eventually find a role that allows him to become a much more influential player. Equally, I don't think it's unfair to look at what has happened so far and question whether he has made the right decision from a purely footballing perspective. He certainly wouldn't be the first player to discover that leaving a successful environment can be far more complicated than it initially appears.

For Villa, I think there should be a degree of encouragement in all of this. We spent much of the summer discussing how difficult it would be to replace players like Tielemans, Rogers, Konsa and Martinez, and understandably so, because they were all enormously influential in the club's recent success. But perhaps we're also seeing further evidence that the collective structure at Villa is every bit as important as the individuals operating within it. That doesn't mean every player is interchangeable or that Emery can simply turn anybody into a top-class performer, but he has repeatedly shown that he can maximise the qualities of the players available to him, and I think Tielemans' struggles elsewhere only strengthen that argument.

There's no bitterness towards Tielemans from me, and I wouldn't pretend that Villa are suddenly better off simply because he's having a difficult time at Manchester United. He was a fantastic player for the club, played his part in some extraordinary achievements and deserves to be remembered fondly for that. But I do take some satisfaction from seeing just how difficult life has become for him away from Emery, because it reinforces something I've believed for a long time about the manager we have at Aston Villa.

Tielemans may eventually become a huge success at Manchester United, but right now he's a very good footballer struggling in a team that doesn't appear to know how to get the best out of him. At Villa, he had a manager who understood him, a system that suited him and teammates who helped bring out his best qualities. He chose to leave all of that behind, and although there is still plenty of time for things to change, the grass certainly isn't looking greener at the moment.