Aston Villa veteran Ashley Young signs new one-year contract
Aston Villa have announced that veteran left-back Ashley Young has signed a new one-year contract to remain at the club.
Young returned to the club last summer after a decade away on a free transfer from Inter Milan, but it was unclear if he would be staying at the club.
His contract officially expired last week, but John Percy took to Twitter to claim that an agreement over a new deal was close on Monday morning (1 July).
Villa confirmed the news two hours later, posting a statement on their website and social media profiles.
Young made 24 league appearances last season, most of which were off the bench, and established himself as a dependable squad player.
A no-brainer
Young obviously is not a patch on the player that he was during his first spell at the club, but that does not mean that Villa should cast him out.
Firstly, Young is just as fit as he was a decade ago, meaning Villa can depend on him to be ready to go if they need him.
Fans saw this last season, particularly during the defeat to Manchester City in December.
Young was introduced on the half-hour mark and was arguably Villa’s best player during their valiant defeat.
The first thing he did after half-time was charge down Oleksandr Zinchenko, panicking him to win a corner that Villa subsequently scored from.
Young put in an all-action display and ran until the end of the game, displaying remarkable fitness for a player in their twilight years.
The professionalism and determination he has displayed through his 19-year career can rub off on Villa’s young stars as they look to nurture a golden generation.
While it is an unremarkable signing and certain fans will inevitably groan about the news, keeping Young around is an absolute no-brainer for Villa.
In other Aston Villa news, Jacob Ramsey has been mooted as a potential wildcard for England’s World Cup squad this winter.