Youri Tielemans and Leander Dendoncker have shone in the Premier League for Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2019.
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has hailed the midfield pairing of Youri Tielemans and Leander Dendoncker after the Rote Duivels opened their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with a 3-1 win against Russia in Brussels, as reported by Nieuwsblad.
Belgium were missing a number of their key players when Russia came to town on Thursday with injuries keeping out the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Axel Witsel and Mousa Dembele.
As a result, Martinez handed starting spots to Tielemans and Dendoncker, rewarding the duo for their impressive Premier League form in the colours of Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively.
And the former Anderlecht team-mates certainly made an impression. Tielemans scored a razor sharp opener 15 minutes in, his first international goal, before running the game from the centre of the park alongside the typically composed Dendoncker.
“We had players with fewer caps and less experience than usual,” said the former Everton boss. “That way we could see what those young people have learned in the past three years.
“Well, Tielemans and Dendoncker played as if they have been in the team for years. That is gratifying. I think it’s fantastic that they were both trained in Belgium.
“This is a signal to the many young players who leave Belgium too early for abroad. Tielemans and Dendoncker have stayed in Belgium for a long time and are now international.”
Tielemans has shone since joining Leicester on loan from Monaco in January and, on current form, The Foxes should have no qualms about breaking their transfer record to sign the £40 million-rated starlet on a permanent basis, as reported by The Telegraph.
Dendoncker, meanwhile, has recovered from a slow start to establish himself as a key player down the road at Wolves.
