Aston Villa could see Ashley Young return to the club. (imago Images)
As per a report by Guardian, Aston Villa have signed Inter Milan full-back Ashley Young on a one-year deal. The Englishman, now 35, joined Inter Milan around 18 months back and won the Serie A title under Antonio Conte this season.
Young was at Villa Park for four-and-a-half years before joining United in 2011, and we look at why a reunion is a wise move for the Villans.
Despite being 35, Young featured in 26 Serie A games for Inter this past season where they won the Scudetto. That shows that he still has a fair bit of football left in him. And Villa could really use a left-back – a role that Young has played over the years despite playing as a left-sided midfielder earlier in his career.
That is because Matt Targett is Villa’s sole senior player in that position. Dean Smith’s overdependence on the 25-year-old left-back was seen this season as he played in every single one of Villa’s league games. To make matters difficult, his natural backup, 32-year-old Neil Taylor, is set to be released by the club.
Hence, there is no doubt that Villa could use a player in that position. Despite his league-winning campaign, Young could be utilized in a supporting role for Targett. Of course, at his age, you cannot expect him to be a long-term asset.
But he can give Villa a stress-free season or two because of his versatility. Not only left-back, but Young can play in a variety of roles in the Villa team. He can play as a right-midfielder, right-back and as a left-midfielder. With Ahmed Elmohamady also leaving, Young could be useful in that regard as well.
Ahmed Elmohamady provided cover to Matty Cash but his departure would see the club lack a natural right-back, which is again, a position where Young can play in. So, there is no doubt that Young could plug in a number of holes in the Villa squad for at least the upcoming season.
This will buy them some time to look for long-term targets in a patient manner while Young folds the fort for the time being. Another aspect of Young’s arrival is leadership. With Tom Heaton, Elmohamady, and Tom Heaton all set to be released by the club, Young would be the only player above the age of 30 in the Villa squad.
Thus, his experience, trophy-winning pedigree with Inter and United, as well as his versatility make him a very wise acquisition by the Villans.
