Ashley Young makes Aston Villa admission following Everton transfer
Ashley Young has admitted he may have stayed at Aston Villa for another year after joining Everton this summer.
In the Sunday Mirror’s print edition (page 75, 30 July) the experienced defender discussed his departure from Villa Park after his contract wasn’t renewed following a two-year spell in his second stint at the club.
That led to the 38-year-old, who his former manager Martin O’Neill once referred to as a “world-class performer”, making the switch to Goodison Park.
“I enjoyed my time at Villa,” said Young. “Did I think I could have stayed another year? Yeah. But I’m here at Everton and I’m not bothered about what happened at Villa. My focus is Everton and doing well here.
“Put any challenge in front of me and I go full-throttle. I’m prepared to play in any position the manager wants me to play.”
Committed
It sounds as though Young would have been more than happy to have stayed at Villa if the opportunity had arisen, but that he’s also delighted to have signed a deal to play for Everton.
Even though he’s very much in the latter stages of his career, the defender is clearly keen to continue playing at the highest level and he’s committed to doing his very best for the club.
He comes across as a confident character and those are the kind of people you need at a club sometimes, especially ones that bring as much experience as Young, who has made 422 Premier League appearances [Transfermarkt].
It’s also great to hear that he doesn’t mind playing anywhere the manager asks him to because having versatile players can mean the manager can maybe afford to be a little lighter in certain areas knowing a player can do a job in several positions.
Although the former England international may not play every week, he should be a great person to have around the place and will add something to the dressing room across the upcoming campaign.
In other Everton news, Jamie Carragher has aimed a bizarre jibe at Toffees star Jordan Pickford.