Aston Villa found themselves in a pretty sorry state more often than not during the Championship campaign which concluded recently as they appeared timorous and uneasy for a major chunk of the season.
The Villans finished 13th in the league charts of the English second division with 62 points and frankly speaking, the scenario could have been worse had they not conjured a late revival.
While Newcastle carved an immediate return, the days of woes haven’t stooped accompanying Aston Villa last season as well. It goes without saying that Steve Bruce would take a dip in the transfer market to ensure that he comes up with a spectacular name or two to shake his troops out of their apparent apathy and of late, reports have emerged that the Lions are favourites at this stroke of hour to sign Manchester United’s veteran Ashley Young.
Young was one of the most invigorating stars for Aston Villa during his tenure at the Villa Park. Signed by Premier League heavyweights Manchester United in the summer transfer window of 2011, the English international proved to be a valuable asset for the Red Devils as well and won plenty of accolades with the Manchester-based outfit.
However, owing to the plethora of stars Jose Mourinho has in his books, Young’s value at has significantly diluted and he is seemingly likely to vouch for an outlet during the summer transfer window.
Last season, the Watford youth product was handed only 8 starts in the Premier League by Mourinho, and he could garner merely 1 assist in the process.
However, the truckloads of experience he has under his belt and the versatility he possesses of working efficiently anywhere on the right or the left, his tendency to keep looking to create openings as well as the precision he passes the ball with still make him a compelling prospect.
He has been a serial winner and could inject a winning mentality into Bruce’s side, which is in a dire need for the same.
The game of football demands intense perseverance and toil and plying trade for a club which expects commendable displays week in and week out from its players like Manchester United tends to get uneasy for a player like Young who is about to be a 32-year-old next month and certainly is beyond his prime.
Moving a step back is the call of the hour for him and aiding his previous employers in reclaiming back their old status of being an English top division outfit should actually make a lot of sense to him personally.
