Youri Tielemans has admitted he made a mistake when referring to Manchester United as being "above" Aston Villa.

Tielemans ended his stint at Villa earlier this summer when he joined 13-time Premier League champions United for a fee of £35m.

The 29-year-old joined Villa from Leicester City in 2023, and made 134 appearances for the club in all competitions, helping Unai Emery's team qualify for the Champions League twice.

Tielemans also scored in last season's Europa League final, as Villa swatted aside Freiburg to win their second major European trophy.

While speaking to the media in Ireland earlier this week, Tielemans said Villa got him back to his best level, before adding that, "there are clubs above Villa and Manchester United is one of them."

However, the Belgian has now apologised after he faced a backlash from Villa fans.

"Never meant for my words in the press yesterday to offend anyone or the institution of Aston Villa Football Club, which I massively respect and I'm grateful for the past three years," he wrote on social media.

"I must, however, admit my mistake and apologise for my choice of words, will be more careful in the future.

"Wishing the club the best in the future."

Tielemans directly contributed to 34 goals for Villa (10 goals, 24 assists), while he led their squad in the past three seasons for chances created (165), level with Morgan Rogers, who has also departed this summer.

Villa went down 2-1 to Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup on Wednesday.