Tielemans criticizes senior Belgium teammate De Bruyne: I never would have said that, claims Aston Villa midfielder

When asked about De Bruyne's powerful statement, Tielemans replied, "I probably wouldn't have been so candid in front of the press. I might have been more cautious with my words."

"Now, Kevin has said everything within the group and he doesn't care if it's made public or not. We have a young group and maybe they would have preferred it to stay behind closed doors."

De Bruyne is missing from Belgium's Nations League ties this week as he continues his recovery from surgery.