Aston Villa stalwart Ashley Young has insisted that he wants to extend his stay at the club as his current contract is set to expire next month.
Young, 37, made 32 appearances this past season as he continued to showcase his importance in the squad under Unai Emery.
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With his experience, versatility and tactical astuteness, he proved that he can still play a key role for us, and especially moving forward now that we have European fixtures to consider next season, depth will be needed to try and compete across multiple fronts.
His current deal is set to expire on June 30, and so Villa need to make a decision on whether or not they will offer the veteran a new contract, and when asked about his future following our win over Brighton on Sunday, Young was clear in his stance on the situation.
“You’ll have to ask the manager. You’ll have to ask the owners. But I want to stay,” he is quoted as saying by the Express and Star’s Matt Maher.
Emery reiterated in his post-match press conference that talks over Young’s future will be a priority this week now that the season has concluded, and the Spanish tactician has spoken very highly of the experienced Villa ace this season in terms of his influence on the squad, both on and off the pitch.
Further, he has also discussed how he values experienced, older players who are now able to extend their careers and continue to play at a high level, and particularly with our Europa Conference League campaign in mind, Young’s previous experiences with Man Utd and Inter could be very helpful moving forward.
Ultimately though, the club will make the decision that they feel is best for all concerned, and although we likely won’t have to wait too long to find out what the future holds for Young, it’s hoped that it’s a positive resolution which sees him extend his time with us, even if it’s just on another one-year deal.
As seen in his tweet below, he dropped another clear indication that he wants to be with us again next season, and hopefully it was a hint that the expectation is that he will put pen to paper on a new contract at Villa in the coming days.
From the beginning to the end we dreamed and we achieved. I said coming back here we should be playing European Football and we have delivered.
With the help of you amazing fans being with us week in week out next season you will have European Football, European Nights!
Team… pic.twitter.com/FxtxNXtX1F
— Ashley Young (@youngy18) May 29, 2023
