Aston Villa face an important decision over the future of Ashley Young next week, but it seems a relatively straight-forward choice given his continued importance.
The 37-year-old will see his current contract with the club expire at the end of next month, and so talks will be held following the conclusion of the Premier League season this weekend to determine what the next step is.
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Unai Emery was asked about the Villa stalwart’s future in his pre-match press conference on Friday, and he rightly insisted that the focus is on Sunday’s encounter with Brighton, and decisions over the squad will be made starting next week, with Young’s situation a priority.
“I spoke with him on Tuesday, I told him we are going to decide after the match on Sunday and we’ll talk with the owners and I will analyse deeply each [player] situation,” he told the media, as per VillaTV. “His contract is finishing and he’s the first player we have to speak with.
“I told him to be first focused on the match on Sunday; we were remembering he played in the Europa League final four years ago for Manchester United against Sevilla. He has a lot of experience in Europe, playing in good matches and in good moments in his career. We have the opportunity now to get there again with Aston Villa. Then we we will decide for every individual circumstances in the squad.”
While his age could perhaps work against him depending on the vision and strategy that the club are looking to adopt moving forward, the list of reasons against offering him a new contract arguably ends there.
And even so, the experience, mentality, professionalism and commitment that he continues to bring to the table despite his advancing years, all make that line of thinking largely irrelevant.
Young has made 32 appearances so far this season across all competitions, and has shown that he’s not just an important voice in the dressing room, but he can also still contribute significantly at the top level when needed.
Further, he’s shown great versatility to fill in with various roles due to injuries, and he’s adapted brilliantly to Emery’s demands to showcase his tactical astuteness and understanding of the game.
Emery has made no secret of his desire to not only continue to progress in the Premier League and climb higher up the standings, but also to compete across multiple fronts moving forward and win trophies, be it domestic or European, as we target a spot in the Europa Conference League next season.
To do that, we’ll need a squad capable of maintaining a high level of competitiveness across a whole campaign. Young ticks so many important boxes with what he contributes, and even if it’s merely a one-year extension, he has shown enough and is important enough to keep at the club.
The expectation is that a new deal will be announced next week as that is simply the smart decision, and it would be some full-circle moment for him to feature in Europe for us, if we get the result on Sunday. If it doesn’t go that way, we’ll certainly appreciate a positive second stint at the club, where Young has helped us overcome a difficult period and get back on track to where we want to get to under Emery.
Should Villa offer Young a new deal?
Unai Emery on Ashley Young: “We're going to decide after Sunday. We’ll talk with owners & I will analyse deeply each [player] situation. His contract is finishing & he’s first player we have to speak with."
Seems no-brainer to offer new deal. New contract for Young?#avfc #UTV
— Talk Villa (@thetalkvilla) May 27, 2023