Youri Tielemans should be axed by Man United after his Tottenham display sets alarm bells ringing

Youri Tielemans should be facing the axe from Manchester United's starting XI after the 1-1 draw against Tottenham.

The Red Devils oversaw a midfield revamp during the summer, in which three new names were added to their ranks.

Andrey Santos, Carlos Baleba, and the Tielemans all linked up with Michael Carrick's side, with the Belgian so far starting all of Man United's Premier League fixtures.

Results have ultimately been poor, and Carrick is under immense pressure to turn the ship around.

The Englishman will now begin to ponder over his team selection choices, and Tielemans should be one of the names questioned.

While on paper the 29-year-old did OK at Old Trafford against Tottenham, the story of the game revealed a much more important truth.

Youri Tielemans exposed as Man United midfield struggles laid bare vs Tottenham.

Manchester United's midfield was completely overran against Tottenham.

The away side found plenty of space, and the Red Devils struggled to keep hold of the ball.

Carrick's selections in the middle of the pitch were the main factors behind that, and that was also evidenced by the Englishman's substitution choices.

Tielemans was rightfully one of the first to be hooked off in the 59th minute.

The Belgian international's stats from the game will make you believe that he may have been one of the best on the pitch, but the context opens a whole new picture.

The former Aston Villa man is best known for his qualities on the ball, dictating tempo and allowing his side to retain possession.

That is why he was brought to Manchester. He is supposed to bring Carrick's side more control - something he utterly failed to do against Spurs.

Tielemans ultimately spent most of the game doing the dirty work, getting involved in plenty of tackles - five to be exact, as per FotMob - and running backwards rather than moving the ball forward.

That may be an impressive stat on its own, but it is a damning indictment of his failures to deliver in the role he is supposed to be performing.

If he exerted control on the game, Tielemans would simply not have had to work as hard on the defensive side of the game.

If the 29-year-old is supposed to be the man pulling the strings in United's midfield, his performance against Spurs should set alarm bells ringing for Carrick ahead of the upcoming run of fixtures.

Michael Carrick has a ready-made Youri Tielemans solution already

Luckily for Carrick, the solution to the emerging problem with Tielemans is already at his disposal.

Baleba is fit and able to feature again, proven by his introduction to replace Tielemans against Tottenham.

Now, ahead of Manchester United's upcoming games, there should be no doubt that the Cameroonian takes the place of the Belgian.

If Tielemans continues to fail to control games, leaving United vulnerable, they may as well utilise a ball-winning specialist such as the former Brighton man.

There's more to gain than lose by doing so.