View: Ashley Young contract extension at Aston Villa is excellent decision by hierarchy
Aston Villa confirmed on 4 July that Ashley Young had penned a year contract extension and that is an excellent business by the club hierarchy at Villa Park.
The veteran right-back has a wealth of experience that will be vital for Steven Gerrard and his Aston Villa side as he looks to build on last year’s 14th-place finish in the Premier League.
With 393 Premier League appearances under his belt, the former Manchester United man could prove to be a valuable source of knowledge and know-how for Gerrard and Villa’s younger players.
Villa have plenty of youngsters in and around their first team squad with Cameron Archer, Jacob Ramsey, Carney Chukwuemeka and Boubacar Kamara all under the age of 23.
It is also important to remember that Gerrard is still relatively new to his managerial career, with his previous stint at Scottish giants Rangers, his only other managerial position that he has held at present.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see Young hang his boots up at the end of the 2022/23 campaign and potentially move into Gerrard’s backroom staff at Villa Park.
It remains to be seen how much of an impact Young will have on the pitch in the coming season, but he undoubtedly has the ability to be a good squad player for Gerrard to call upon when asked.
This will likely prove to be a good piece of business for Villa going forward, with the results of his contract extension likely felt behind the scenes rather than on the pitch in the coming campaign.
In other Aston Villa news, the club has announced the signing of Rory Wilson.