The press in Belgium dropped an eye-opening verdict on the latest international outing of Manchester United summer signing Youri Tielemans against Turkey during the November international break.

Youri Tielemans was named in Belgium’s starting XI alongside Manchester United teammate Senne Lammens for his country’s Nations League clash on Thursday.

Mark van Bommel’s men lined up in a 4-3-3 formation and Tielemans was part of the left side of the three-man midfield, with Nicolas Raskin playing centrally and Kevin De Bruyne being deployed on the right.

The 29-year-old Man Utd midfielder, who is the captain of Belgium, saw out the full 90 minutes of the Red Devils’ 2-1 win, but the Belgian media were divided.

Youri Tielemans sparked positive and negative reactions from the Belgium press after the Turkey match

Unlike the Belgium press’ glowing reviews for Senne Lammens in Thursday’s Nations League clash, Youri Tielemans earned mixed ratings from the media in his native homeland. Belgian sports platform VoetbalNieuws awarded the Belgium skipper a six out of 10 rating for his performance against Turkey. According to reporter Kobe Karpa, Tielemans disappointed in possession and there should be more “expected from a player of his caliber.”

VoetbalNieuws added that the former Aston Villa midfielder “primarily tried to avoid taking risks,” as Tielemans’ midfield “influence was quite limited” against Turkey on Thursday. Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad mirrored VoetbalNieuws by giving the Belgium international the same playing rating for his 90-minute display.

The outlet echoed the sentiments of Tielemans being away from Manchester United and not having to deal with the headache of the Red Devils’ turbulent campaign. However, Het Nieuwsblad suggested that the Man Utd star “delivered” what was expected from him, both from a build-up and positional standpoint in Belgium’s comeback win.

VoetbalPrimeur shared a different view of Tielemans’ influence after awarding the former Leicester City and Monaco player a seven out of 10 rating. Tielemans was praised after he “recovered several important balls and kept working hard in midfield.” But the publication did suggest that the United midfielder “needs to be careful” in his performances, as his “nonchalant play” can lead to “unnecessary problems” for Belgium.

Arda Guler fired Turkey into the lead in the 20th minute after he curled a stunning effort into the back of Lammens’ net from a free-kick. However, Belgium rallied back in the first half after former Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne cancelled out Arda Guler’s effort in the 27th minute at the Gursel Aksel Stadium.

Charles De Ketelaere fired Belgium into the lead three minutes after their equaliser and Mark van Bommel’s side left Uckuyular, Goztepe, with all three points in their Group A Nations League clash. Belgium are now third in Group A after five Nations League matches and the Red Devils are one point behind second-place France and first-place Italy.