View: Ashley Young should take Aston Villa captaincy under Unai Emery
The captaincy has been one of the biggest talking points at Aston Villa so far this season, and it’s likely to come up again over the next month.
Steven Gerrard started the season by taking the armband away from Tyrone Mings and handing it to John McGinn, but the team’s poor form ultimately saw the former England captain lose his job as boss before the season was paused for the World Cup.
He was replaced by Unai Emery, who has overseen back-to-back Premier League wins over Manchester United and Brighton, and McGinn has been out of the team for those games.
That has opened up a new conversation about who should be wearing the captain’s armband, with some believing it should go back to defender Mings as he never should have lost it.
But the captain doesn’t necessarily have to be someone who plays every minute or is the best player, it just needs to be someone who can motivate the squad and set an example.
Both McGinn and Mings are excellent candidates on paper, but handing it back to Mings would seem like a backwards step and the Scot has struggled with the extra pressure and responsibility that comes with it.
But one person who would thrive with that responsibility and can set the standard that nobody else in the squad can is Ashley Young.
Young was once upon a time the captain of Manchester United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and he’s worn the armband before for Villa at different points this season and last.
He’s won league titles in England and Italy, he’s represented England at international tournaments and is a seasoned veteran when it comes to the big moments and digging deep.
Young can step in as the club captain, able to play in several positions and with his work rate something that Emery is clearly a fan of, but he’s unlikely to play every game.
That would leave some conversation around who wears the armband when he’s not on the pitch, but with multiple leaders on the pitch even without being the captain it can only be a positive thing.
It’s something for Emery to consider that could take the pressure off both McGinn and Mings in the media spotlight, and allow them to focus more on just performing to their best level.
In other Aston Villa news, Lionel Messi convinced Emi Buendia to represent Argentina instead of Spain