Ashley Young set to leave Aston Villa this summer – report
Aston Villa wide man Ashley Young is expected to depart Villa Park this summer when his contract expires at the end of the season, according to Birmingham Mail.
The 36-year-old signed a one-year contract to return to the club where he spent four years between 2007 and 2011 before a £16m move to Manchester United.
But after failing to break into the starting lineup regularly under either Dean Smith or Steven Gerrard, it’s now expected that he will leave the club for pastures new.
Young spent last season with Inter Milan in Serie A and was a regular under Antonio Conte as they lifted the Italian title for the first time in a decade, before opting to make a return to the Premier League, choosing to return to Villa instead of another former club Watford.
Playing either as a winger or a full-back on either side, Young has made 20 appearances so far in all competitions and registered two assists to help Villa into the top half of the division.
Time is undefeated
Bringing Young back to Villa Park was a nice move by Smith in the summer, bringing some experience and quality depth into a squad that was looking to build after losing their best player in Jack Grealish.
But after Smith left and Gerrard brought in Lucas Digne during the summer, Young’s position in the squad was clearly not as important as under the previous regime.
As they look to build their squad to progress next season, it’s only natural that a 37-year-old won’t be part of those plans as a squad option, especially with the youth academy developing players as well as it is right now.
It’s the right decision for the club and the player in the long run because he can’t perform at the level that the club will be expecting anymore and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Now the club must replace him well, while fans can give him a welcome send-off at the end of the season with a big and successful ending before building themselves a platform for next season.
In other Aston Villa news, Steven Gerrard will be backed by NSWE in the summer