View: Aston Villa need to make their minds up on Ashley Young contract
Aston Villa star Ashley Young is still considering his future at Villa Park, despite his imminent contract expiration, according to the Birmingham Mail.
Young was named in Villa’s released list earlier in June, but it was understood that he was in discussions over a new contract.
Despite his contract expiring today (30 June), the Birmingham Mail shared in a Twitter post that the player has still not decided on his future.
Young was mainly seen as a backup option in his first season back at Villa Park, making 24 appearances but only 10 starts.
With his contract ending so soon, Villa will now be forced into making that decision for him.
The clock is ticking
Despite his name, Young is no longer in his youth and turns 37 next week.
This can work both for and against him as while he cannot be depended on to keep up with the pace of the Premier League, he can offer a wealth of experience to Villa.
The club do not have that sort of experience without him, with Villa bringing him in partly to help nurture their young stars last season.
Philippe Coutinho is the only player in the current squad with a CV comparable to Young’s, with the Brazilian racking up three league titles and a Champions League win during his career.
There is also the obvious point that, as of now, he is Villa’s only left-back beyond Lucas Digne.
Steven Gerrard is known to want a new left-back this summer, with Sergio Gomez being one name linked, but there is no guarantee that one will arrive.
Young did well when called upon last season and having him around as backup and experience certainly would not be a bad thing, but Villa need to decide now.
There are obvious and tangible benefits to keeping him around, but if he sees his future elsewhere then he needs to be cut loose. Of course, if nothing is announced tomorrow then it will be irrelevant anyway, but Villa need to be more decisive in the future.
In other Aston Villa news, the club have agreed a deal to sell winger Trezeguet to Turkish giants Trabzonspor.