Steven Gerrard raves about Aston Villa player Ashley Young
Steven Gerrard has showered heaps of praise on Aston Villa senior mainstay Ashley Young.
The 37-year-old is likely to play against Leicester City in their next Premier League game, and Young is expected to start.
Young impressed after replacing Matty Cash off the bench against Manchester City as Villa drew 1-1.
“Losing Matty was a blow but Ash epitomised everything we needed,” said Gerrard, as quoted by Express and Star.
“He has since I came in the door. When you take on a challenge like this, so early in your coaching career, it is vital you have the right senior players.
“Ash is someone I haven’t had to work on because he has been there, done it and got the winning mentality, the standards.
“His performance against Manchester City epitomised everything about us and the appreciation from the supporters, a lot of it should be for Ash. He drove a lot of our other players.”
Experience
Young is a vastly experienced player and Gerrard is confident that he can do the job.
While he is not getting any younger, he still has got the quality to shine.
Young can play in multiple positions, but Gerrard now needs him in doing full-back jobs due to the injury to Cash.
Villa have made a stuttering start to the season, having picked up only one win in their opening six games.
They have lost at home against West Ham but the draw against Manchester City must have given them lots of confidence.
It seemed like Villa would suffer yet another defeat after Erling Haaland broke the deadlock in the second half. However, they got back into the game thanks to a brilliant finish from Leon Bailey.
They now face Leicester who are under a bit of pressure.
Brendan Rodgers’ side are yet to pick up a win in their opening six games, losing five of them. This is the perfect time for Villa to pick up their second win of the season.
In other Aston Villa news, £30million worth of shares have been pumped into the club to ensure any debts can be cleared heading into the meat of the season.