Manchester United's Ashley Young: Our take on those Aston Villa rumours

Football editor Mat Kendrick has his say on speculation linking Ashley Young with a Villa Park return

Stranger things have happened...

Ashley Young has been linked with a return to Aston Villa in some spurious chitter chatter on social media, and stranger things have indeed happened.

There was the incident when a bird pooed in Young's mouth (see the video below) during a Manchester United match - that was a stranger thing for a start.

But surely there is more chance of that same fluttery feathered foe getting the winger in the gob again then there is of Young coming back to Villa Park.

Here's several reasons why a claret and blue homecoming for Young is highly unlikely, even on loan.

1) The cash

Young is on hefty dough at Old Trafford as you might well imagine. He is contracted to United until the summer of 2018.

Even Jose Mourinho's fringe player command wages that are beyond the financial restrictions of Villa.

Okay, so Tony Xia has shown a willingness to loosen the purse-strings in order to persuade the likes of Mile Jedinak and James Chester to swap the Premier League for the Championship.

But financing a deal for Young would be an altogether pricier proposition, especially at a time when the club are watching their budget in relation to Financial Fair Play limits.

2) The kudos

It wasn't all that long ago that Young was a regular in the England squad.

If he is to leave United for a temporary stint away to kickstart his career then he will have set his sights on another Premier League club or a European rival.

With all due respect to Villa if the 31-year-old is made available for loan, he will be hoping to have top flight options among his suitors.

3) The connections

Much of the personnel, both coaching and playing, has changed from when Young was a popular figure at Villa between January 2007 and June 2011.

Only Gabby Agbonlahor, albeit a big pal of Young back in the day (see the video above), remains in the squad, while Villa have got through more managers and coaches than Young has scored United goals since then.

4) The rapport

Young was a Holte End darling under Martin O'Neill, for those curling finishes, whipped crosses and speedy bursts of close control.

The claret and blue faithful tended to turn a blind eye to those tumbles to the turf.

Some of the credit Young left with for the respectful way he handled his Villa departure was eroded when he dived to win a penalty against Villa in a 4-0 defeat at Old Trafford in April 2012.

Would Villa fans welcome a player of his ability back at the club? Yes. Would the special relationship be quite the same? I doubt it.

5) The competition

Of the areas Villa need to strengthen in January, surely there are greater priorities than the wide attacking positions.

Xia spent, in Championship terms, decent money to bring Albert Adomah from Middlesbrough in the summer, while they are not exactly struggling for other alternatives.

Top scorer Jonathan Kodjia has shown he can be effective cutting in from either flank, while Jack Grealish, Jordan Ayew and rookie Andre Green are capable options.

Steve Bruce would be better using any wiggle room in his budget to bolster his midfield and full-back departments.

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What a Club! Five Years for Ashley Young

With a picture of him grabbing the badge on his shirt, another of him sitting with Sir Alex Ferguson and the Premier League trophy, and one with Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick, and the FA Cup Trophy, Ashley Young wished himself a Happy fifth Manchester United Anniversary on his twitter account.

Five years. A lot has happened in five years.

Starting out at Watford at 10 years of age and making his professional debut in 2003, Ashley Young was a huge part of the 2005-06 Watford squad that earned a promotion, and a place in United hearts, by beating Leeds United in a playoff at the Millennium Stadium. His stock continued to rise as a move to West Ham United or Aston Villa was on the cards in the summer of 2007. After meeting with both clubs, Youngy (as he’s nicknamed) decided that working with Martin O’Neill at Aston Villa was the next best step in his career. Although no trophies were won in his time at Aston Villa, Young grew into a fantastic footballer. A true winger with loads of pace caught the eye of a lot of teams, but Young’s next move was for Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United.

United were coming off the high of fulfilling Ferguson’s long time, focused goal of knocking Liverpool off their perch. Faster play with more goals was always the plan, and with Ferguson’s love for out-and-out wingers, his move for Ashley Young wasn’t too much of a surprise. Young slotted straight into the squad and made an instant impact, none greater than when Arsenal came to visit Old Trafford early in his first season. The famous 8-2 score line still finds a way into the conversations of United fans when dealing with Arsenal supporters, and Ashley Young scored two cracking goals that day. His first season brought nine goals but United fell a few goals short of claiming title #20 in his first season.

Ferguson’s retirement, after winning title #20 in Young’s second season, took each footballer by surprise and affected each in their own way. Wayne Rooney appeared to get a new lease on United life. Robin van Persie seemed to lose some of the verve for football that permeated United’s #20 title charge. But Ashley Young seemed to carry straight on into the reign of David Moyes. Privately it may have been different, but publicly it was work as usual. With a change to Louis van Gaal, the next season came big changes for Young, moving from the wing to mostly left back and defensive duties. But, as he’s done since day one, Young worked hard for the badge and continued to find a spot in the squad, even playing a striker in the weaning matches of Van Gaal’s tumultuous reign at United.

There are only a few world class footballers in the world, and Ashley Young isn’t one of them. But every top squad needs talent, skill, hard work, and players who know exactly what they bring to the table, and Ashley Young fits that completely. Young’s fifth manager since joining United five seasons ago starts soon and Youngy will, yet again, be required to prove himself. But you can be sure if he stays at Manchester United, he will continue to give all he has for the greatest club in England. As he said is his fifth-anniversary tweet, “What a club!”

Van Gaal's legacy: Big spending, dull games, accent on youth

MANCHESTER, England - (AP) -- So, after $375 million in transfers, two seasons of often mind-numbing soccer, one trophy and countless references to his "process" and "philosophy," Louis van Gaal is no longer manager of Manchester United. The English Premier League club announced his departure on Monday evening.

After David Moyes' ill-fated 10-month tenure in the 2013-14 season, post-Alex Ferguson, United needed an experienced, larger-than-life coach to bring stability to England's biggest club.

Van Gaal, just off a successful second stint with the Dutch national team and with his resume including spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, was thought to be that man. And he was handed unprecedented sums of money in the transfer market to renew the squad and allow it to compete at the top end of the English and European game.

Within two seasons, he is out -- and United look no closer to regaining its stature of old, on the field at least.

So how will Van Gaal be remembered? Certainly his brand of football won't be missed by the regulars at Old Trafford. And United's owners will be scratching their heads at where all the money went.

Yet his occasional frivolity on the touchline have shown a lighter side to the man nicknamed the "Iron Tulip," and his drip-feeding of academy players into the first team could reap its rewards in the years to come. In Anthony Martial, United could also potentially have a world star in its midst.

Here's a look at Van Gaal's legacy at United:

WHAT A WASTE

Van Gaal will forever be known as the man who oversaw an outlay of $375 million on new signings over two seasons without ostensibly improving his squad.

Expensive signings like Angel Di Maria ($99 million), Memphis Depay ($48 million), Morgan Schneiderlin ($39 million) and Bastian Schweinsteiger ($23 million) have disappointed or failed to adapt to Van Gaal's rigid system. Di Maria is a genuine world-class player who was a star at Real Madrid and has gone on to be a key player at Paris Saint-Germain. How he was wasted by Van Gaal.

Despite Van Gaal's heavy spending, he managed to leave himself an unbalanced squad lacking in strikers and creative attacking midfielders. Daley Blind has played as an emergency center back for most the season and he cannot settle on regular fullbacks.

United will have to give the new manager -- expected to be former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho -- more financial backing to reshape the squad, yet again.

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DULL FOOTBALL

United's end-of-season scoring stats make grim reading for Van Gaal. The 49 goals netted in the league is United's lowest return in Premier League history, and never previously has the team failed to score in 10 games in one campaign.

Meanwhile, United went into halftime drawing 0-0 in 24 of its games this season. And its players played more backward passes than any other team in the Premier League.

No wonder "Attack, attack, attack" was the soundtrack at most matches at Old Trafford, where fans were spoiled on a diet of entertaining football for so long under Ferguson.

Van Gaal spoke so often about his "philosophy" and he'll leave with few knowing what it actually was. On the face of it, it is a functional, risk-averse, possession-based style that was never going to be a hit at United. Mourinho, Van Gaal's expected replacement, will desperately need to inject some pace into United's midfield play.

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DID HE "GET" UNITED?

As if his style wasn't enough of a turn-off to United fans, Van Gaal hardly made them dream either.

One of his regular phrases was that United's expectations were too high, suggesting that the king of English football for two decades had better get used to leaner times in the coming years.

They were probably sentiments rooted in common sense -- the huge money sloshing around in the Premier League because of lucarive domestic and international TV deals has leveled the playing field -- but it's not the rhetoric fan or players want to be hearing from their manager.

It felt like David Moyes never got the enormity of the United job and the same accusation could sometimes be leveled at Van Gaal, despite his vast experience.

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TACTICS

Some would say his tactics were a demonstration of "total football" long favored by the Dutch. Many more likely would say they were the result of muddled thinking.

What proved to be his last match -- the FA Cup final -- provides an example. Ashley Young, a wide midfielder, came on as a second-half substitute and played as a lone striker. By the end of the match, Young was playing at left back and United also had a center forward in deep midfield (Wayne Rooney).

In one of United's most significant matches this season, against Wolfsburg in the Champions League in December, Van Gaal ended the game with two young full backs (Guillermo Varela and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson) making just their second appearances for the team, and a 21-year-old midfielder in Nick Powell whose last match for United came 18 months previously in the English League Cup. United lost 3-2 and was eliminated.

Van Gaal mostly played playmaker Juan Mata out wide, and often played two holding midfielders in home games, restricting United's attacking potential.

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YOUTH POLICY

Van Gaal's one saving grace has been his adherence to United's traditions of bringing academy graduates into the first team.

Some of them might have been forced on him because of injuries -- striker Marcus Rashford springs to mind -- but he hasn't been afraid to use young players and decided against more splurges in the transfer market in the January windows, instead keeping faith in youth often in tough times.

The club's pathway for youth remains open, and youngsters coming through will see how the likes of Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Timothy Fosu-Mensah have established themselves as regular squad members and potential stars of the future.

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A LIGHTER TOUCH

Van Gaal's turn of phrase in news conferences and TV interviews often drew sniggers and laughs, notably last month when he said that a hair-pulling incident during a United-Leicester match was only acceptable in "sex masochism."

Occasionally he has proved to be an eccentric entertainer on the touchline, too. Most famously, Van Gaal fell to the ground on purpose while remonstrating with a fourth official in the technical area during United's match against Arsenal. Lying on the ground and still holding his clipboard in his left hand, Van Gaal stared at the official in mock horror and appeared to be unhappy at an apparent dive by an Arsenal player moments earlier.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ashley Young and other Van Gaal substitutions that baffled Manchester United fans

The Dutchman's decision to play Ashley Young as a centre forward at Tottenham was yet another strange substitution.

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has made some strange substitutions during his time at Old Trafford.

And he made another at White Hart Lane on Sunday when he brought on Ashley Young at half-time and played him as a centre forward. It meant that for most of the second half, United had a winger playing up front, a No.10 playing on the right, a striker playing on the left and a wide man playing as the No.10.

Van Gaal insisted afterwards he had wanted Young, who come on for Marcus Rashford, to run in behind Tottenham's defence. But the decision didn't come off and United slipped to defeat at Tottenham for the first time since 2001.

It's not the only time Van Gaal has baffled United fans.

Ashley Young v Tottenham (April 2015)

It was 0-0 at White Hart Lane when Van Gaal decided to replace Marcus Rashford with Ashley Young. But instead of moving Anthony Martial, a striker, inside from the left wing, Young was asked to play as the centre forward. It didn't work.

United only had one shot on target - from Martial - and Tottenham ran out 3-0 winners after scoring three goals in six second-half minutes.

All three v Liverpool (March 2015)

His desire to work with a small squad and a series of injuries robbed Van Gaal of most of his options. But the one attacking player he was able to select on the bench, Memphis Depay, remained on the sidelines despite United needing three goals in the second half to progress in the Europa League.

Instead, Van Gaal brought on two full-backs and a holding midfielder. The game ended in a limp 1-1 draw and United headed out of Europe with a whimper.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah v West Brom (March 2015)

United were a goal and a man down at the Hawthorns with 10 minutes to go. But instead of turning to attacking players Marouane Fellaini or James Weir on the bench, Van Gaal decided to swap his right-back.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah came on for Matteo Darmian for the last seven minutes while Fellaini and Weir spent the rest of the afternoon in their seats. United barely created a chance in the final stages as West Brom held on comfortably.

Nick Powell v Wolfsburg (December 2015)

United needed to win in Germany to be sure of keeping their Champions League campaign alive. It was a surprise when Van Gaal named Nick Powell on the bench with the midfielder only just back from nearly a year out.

And it was an even bigger surprise when he was thrown on for Juan Mata after 69 minutes. With Wolfsburg leading 2-1 and United needing to score twice, Van Gaal left Ashley Young and Andreas Pereira on the bench in favour of introducing Powell.

But he had very little impact, United eventually lost 3-2 and crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage. A month later he was on loan at Hull.

Nick Powell was sent on loan to Hull shortly afterwards.

Marouane Fellaini v CSKA Moscow (November 2015)

With United again looking for a goal, this time against CSKA Moscow, Van Gaal replaced striker Anthony Martial with Marouane Fellaini - a change that was greeted with some boos from the fans inside Old Trafford.

Ultimately, Van Gaal got away with it as Michael Carrick, Jesse Lingard and Wayne Rooney combined to find a late goal and earn United a 1-0 win.

Adnan Januzaj v Sunderland (August 2014)

With United chasing a winner against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in Van Gaal's second game in charge, he swapped holding midfielder Darren Fletcher for Adnan Januzaj.

But instead of throwing Januzaj forward to get a goal - at a ground where he scored twice the season before - he was deployed as a holding midfielder next to Tom Cleverley.

United created next to nothing in the final 20 minutes and had to settle for a point against a team who would spend the rest of the season battling relegation.

INJURY UPDATE ON SCHWEINSTEIGER, YOUNG AND BORTHWICK-JACKSON

Louis van Gaal has told MUTV that it is too early for Bastian Schweinsteiger to start in Manchester United's massive Europa League last-16 second leg against Liverpool.

Schweinsteiger returned from a two-month injury lay-off during last week’s 2-0 first leg defeat at Anfield and, encouragingly, the Germany international enjoyed a second successful cameo appearance during Sunday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham United in the Emirates FA Cup sixth round tie at Old Trafford.

After confirming Bastian will not start on Thursday, the boss went on to state that Ashley Young and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson will not be involved in his squad to face Liverpool, despite both players returning to training from injury. Antonio Valencia is also not ready, despite featuring for the Under-21s last week.

"They are training now with us but you have to build up more than only one training session or two training sessions," he told MUTV. "For example, Young and Valencia are out for a few months so it is not so easy to come back and that you can adapt to the rhythm of this level.

"Yeah [it's too early for them]. Too early also for Schweinsteiger [to start]. He has played two times 10 or 15 minutes, maybe he can play 45 minutes or 30 minutes dependable on the situation also on the pitch. I cannot say in advance but I try to do that of course. His impact was very big in the last game versus West Ham United and he was involved in the goal, I think. But, yeah, I have to cope with the fact when they're injured, they're not back at the moment they train one training session with you."

Luke Shaw, Phil Jones, Will Keane are Wayne Rooney are still long-term absentees for United, although the latter has revealed this week that he hopes to return after the upcoming international break. 

At his press conference, the manager added: "Ashley Young has been two months away but Borthwick-Jackson is another case. He has been about three weeks away so that is different.

"For every player, it is difficult after an injury to come back in the team and I give always the example of Marcos Rojo, who was the exception because I didn't have other full-backs so I forced him to build up his capacity in the first team. 

"He struggled, as you have seen, and I have given him 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 50 minutes, 70 minutes and then, at the end, 90 minutes, but he is now very tired yet he has to play maybe tomorrow. It is not easy for someone who has been out and maybe operated, so it is also a big transition for these kind of players. 

"It is the same thing with Luke Shaw and with Wayne Rooney when he is coming back as he has already for three weeks [been in] a brace. You have to wait and see in the training sessions if he has that confidence to play a game or 20 minutes and that is difficult."

Watch the interview in full during MUTV's Match Day Preview on Friday at 17:00 GMT.

Ticket information for Liverpool: Become a Member and you can book up to four seats for Thursday's game at Old Trafford. To find out more, call 0161 868 8000 or visit manutd.com/tickets.

Toothless United ride their luck to escape with third straight stalemate

Louis Van Gaal says it is sticks and stones that break his bones, but a third goalless draw in succession might have tried his constitution. His Manchester United team continue to sap the morale of onlookers, and this was another grinding, uninspired performance.

The good news for them was that it yielded a point because on another day, they would have lost. Crystal Palace were the better, more purposeful team, and their regrets centred upon the chances they passed up. Aside from a few flickers, United barely threatened. Palace were applauded off warmly, and it was easy to recognise their efforts. Yannick Bolasie hit the crossbar in the 10th minute, and Yohan Cabaye missed the big chance on 72 minutes when he was off target when gloriously placed. As with this fixture last season, which United somehow edged, Palace could wonder how they did not win. Their 24-year wait for a league victory over United goes on.

Alan Pardew had demanded maximum intensity from his players and the home support to combat what he described as United's tactic of "lulling" the stadium. "They take the positivity out of it by keeping possession," Pardew said. He got his wish at the outset, as Palace snapped into challenges and pressed hard. United's defensive organisation broke down following a Palace free-kick, and when Scott Dann worked the ball to Bolasie, the winger shot powerfully down and into the ground and watched the ball rear up dangerously. David De Gea showed excellent reflexes to get his fingertips to it and the ball crashed against the crossbar.

United's start was sloppy in the extreme, with right-back Matteo Darmian, guilty of a couple of errors from which he needed De Gea to bail him out. United were flustered, passes went astray and Palace controlled the opening 20 minutes. Cabaye sent in a corner from which Dann worked De Gea, and the travelling United fans were left to implore their team to "attack, attack, attack". Gradually, United found a bit of rhythm and they worked their way into the contest. The second half of the first half was better, as United's passing found more of a groove.

After their roaring start, Palace looked stifled leading up to the interval, and it was United who became the likelier scorers. Wayne Rooney, who led the line with Anthony Martial out left, curled a free-kick over the defensive wall which Wayne Hennessey dealt with comfortably, but United fashioned two good first-half chances.

The first came when Martial drifted inside and released Rooney between the centre-halves. The captain opted not to take a touch and, to his horror, found that the ball was just too far in front of him, allowing Hennessey, who was off his line quickly, to get there first. The second followed Juan Mata's break and Martial's smart cut-back. Ander Herrera arrived and let the ball run across his body for a cushioned shot with the inside of his right foot. He fluffed it.

Rio Ferdinand has said that United fans have to "re-educate themselves on how to watch" their team. In games such as these, the high-octane, flowing stuff feels like a world away. The excitement here came from Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha, the unpredictable Palace wide players, and with Darmian on a yellow card for a block on the latter, Van Gaal replaced him with Ashley Young.

The United fans continued to beg their players to attack, but they failed to do so, their stutters summed up when Herrera got his wires crossed with Bastian Schweinsteiger on a rare break. Herrera was also guilty of going down easily in search of a penalty. Their only flicker came when Martial had a late shot blocked by Damien Delaney.

It was Palace who should have nicked it, with Cabaye passing up the golden chance. Bolasie found Joel Ward, and his cross picked out the midfielder, but, from an unmarked position, he hooked his volley wide of the far post. Dann sent another header from a Cabaye corner inches wide, with Delaney just failing to touch home at the far post, while James McArthur and Bolasie also went close.

Ashley Young: Man Utd’s travelling fans are “always there for us”

Ashley Young took to Twitter to thank Manchester United’s fans for their support following today’s goalless draw against Crystal Palace, despite their apparent unhappiness at the performance and result.

The 30-year-old came on as a second half substitute for Louis van Gaal, featuring for 25 minutes, but he couldn’t prevent United from recording their third 0-0 in a week, after the Manchester derby last weekend and the Capital One Cup tie against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford in midweek, which they subsequently lost on penalties.

Ashley Young completed 92% of his passes against Crystal Palace.

It was Young’s seventh appearance of the campaign, but he didn’t add to his one assist thus far in his cameo appearance at Selhurst Park, with United once again producing a lifeless attacking display.

The Red Devils only had five shots and created three chances against Palace, meaning after 11 Premier League games they’ve scored 15 goals and created just 81 chances. However Van Gaal’s men remain in the top four, sitting on 21 points, although they’re now four adrift of both leaders Manchester City and Arsenal.

Young will be hoping to play a bigger part in United’s next game, a crucial Champions League home clash against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday night, while his Dutch boss will also be looking for a domestic response when they take on West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford next weekend.