One year ago as Manchester United’s David Moyes experiment had come to its end; it seemed that the Ashley Young one was coming to the same depressing conclusion.
Three years on from his move from Aston Villa, it seemed a nigh on certainty that he had played his last game in a red shirt. As the incumbent manager Louis van Gaal prepared to cull his new squad, it seemed pretty likely that the winger would have prime position on the Dutchman’s chopping block.
However, with a rise that Lazarus would be proud of, Ashley Young has not only avoided the chop at Old Trafford, he has made himself a vital cog in the new era at United.
Van Gaal has used Young in a number of roles this term; he was deployed at full back in the early periods of season before he has made the left wing position his own. In the process, the 29 year old has ousted record signing Angel di Maria; through a combination of bad luck with injuries and the Englishman’s startling return to form, the Argentinian has struggled to hold down a place.
In their recent fixture against Crystal Palace, the former Villa man was head and shoulders the best United player, driving his side to a hard earned victory. In the first half his cross resulted in a penalty, before he lay on a late winner for his fellow comeback kid Marouane Fellaini.
In United’s successful quest for a return to Champions League football, he has been one of the standout stars; his improvement has been staggering, from the player who was bereft of confidence and ability 12 months ago, he is now putting in the kind of performances that earned him a consistent run for the national side.
A recall to Roy Hodgson’s side can surely not be too far away, it still seems strange, but there is beginning to be a genuine clamour for his return to the national fold. The fact that it is not only those of a Man United inclination that are demanding his recall show just how far he has come. It seems only yesterday that he was derided by fans and press alike, a figure of laughter, the butt of jokes…..no more.
Memphis Depay’s imminent arrival in Manchester will surely heap even more pressure on the winger, but if this season is an indicator he has plenty of fight left in him yet. He has become a trusted aid for Van Gaal in his journey to return United to the top of English football.
As little as twelve months ago, Young’s career was in turmoil; but he now seems to have appeared out of the other end of the tunnel and he is a player on the up, he is almost a different player to the one that trudged around so ineffectively under his previous manager.
He has one year left on his deal so once again Young will have to prove his worth to his manager, but if in twelve months’ time he can look back on a season as good as this one; he should have nothing to worry about at all.
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