Ashley Young has revealed his delight over a return to Aston Villa, and has outlined his ambition on what he wants to achieve in his second spell at the club.
The 35-year-old spent four years at Villa between 2007 and 2011, establishing himself as a pivotal figure in the side under Martin O’Neill as we knocked on the door to break into the top five in the Premier League.
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After leaving for Man Utd in 2011 and following a stop at Inter over the past two seasons where he added a Serie A title to his trophy collection, Young is back at Villa and is evidently as motivated as ever to be successful.
Naturally, a lot has changed at the club since his last spell, but his ambition and objective is clear as Dean Smith, the players and all concerned look to push on from last season and qualify for Europe this year.
Young was frank and forthcoming with his desire to return, and he clearly expects to play a key role in the upcoming campaign as opposed to just making up the numbers in the squad with many perhaps expecting him to be a versatile and experienced option for Smith if needed.
“As soon as I heard the interest, I was saying to my agent ‘get me back there’.” Young told talkSPORT, as seen in the video below. “I had an absolutely fantastic time there, absolutely loved it. I still talk to the players that I played alongside. It was a fantastic time when I was there, it was disappointing that we weren’t able to break into Europe at the time.
“I’ve been to the training ground the other day before I signed and have seen how much it’s changed and evolved.
“The club wants to be back pushing and challenging to get back into Europe. Aston Villa for me is a massive club which should always be in Europe.
“The manager and staff there have the ambition for the club to do that season after season. The owners are putting the money in to do that.
“Look at the squad – a lot of the players who were there last season are young, but they’ve got that hunger, ambition and desire to play football and break into Europe.
“As I said to my agent, I want to be a part of that, I want to help and I want to be out on that pitch week in, week out and give that Holte End something to be excited and cheer about.”
🟣 “When I heard the interest from #AVFC, I told my agent to get me back there!”
“I had fantastic times when I was there, Aston Villa should always be in Europe!” @Youngy18 wants to push Aston Villa back into European football next season. 👏 pic.twitter.com/9HBCdTkgtu
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) July 4, 2021
