Forever young: The rebirth of Ashley Young
A lot has changed at Manchester United over the last two years. From the arrival of Jose Mourinho to take over the reign at Old Trafford and Paul Pogba’s return to his old stomping ground on a then world-record transfer fee last season, to the additions of Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic to United’s roster this season.
The new arrivals have made headlines at some time or the other. However, somewhere in the midst of this makeover, some of United’s old guard had been overshadowed or perhaps even forgotten and Ashley Young was certainly one such player for United.
Well begun and only half done
The now 32-year-old Englishman was signed to play for United by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2011 for £18 million, from Aston Villa, ahead of the likes of Samir Nasri.
And while the move raised a few eyebrows back in the day, Young showed everyone exactly what he’s capable of as he scored two absolute beauties (the kind that would make a certain Arjen Robben proud) and also managed three assists against Arsenal as United thumped the Gunners 8-2 in an unforgettable game.
While many saw this performance as a sign of things to come from both Young and United, on the whole, it simply did not work out that way for either of them. The subsequent years following that game proved to be torrid ones for both parties as United struggled to rediscover their glory days, after the retirement of Ferguson, under the management of David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal respectively.
And the transition was a tough one for Young too, as he struggled to adapt to the demands of both the managers. Moreover, being played in a whole host of positions in a short period of time surely did not help his cause either.
Given that Young’s career had flattered to deceive since his first season at United, it was not without reason that most people were expecting the former Aston Villa man to be on his way out of the club when Mourinho took over last season.
And this belief was reaffirmed when Young started only 12 Premier League games last season, across four different positions on the pitch.
However, despite his underwhelming performances for the club and the sheer lack of game time he was afforded, the Portuguese gaffer decided not to offload him in the summer for one reason or another and that move has paid dividends this season.
Play for the name on the front
Arsenal legend Tony Adams once famously noted, "Play for the name on the front of the shirt and they will remember the name on the back." And while this remains one of the best football quotes of all time, it must be said that not every player is capable of putting this into practice on the pitch.
However, Young is certainly cut from a different cloth as compared to most others, when it comes to putting the team ahead of himself.
Having been at the club for over six years now, Young has witnessed more than his fair share of players joining and leaving the club. More importantly, in recent seasons, United have stocked up heavily on players who can fill in for Young in his natural position as a winger in the form of Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
However, on the other hand, the Red Devils have not been able to strengthen their defence in the same way, particularly the full-back slots. And it is keeping this requirement of the team in mind, that Young stepped up to the plate for United.
The rebirth of Ashley Young
Now, let’s make one thing very clear: the role of a full-back as compared to a winger, is one which involves a lot more responsibility, especially in a system like Mourinho’s, where the full-backs are expected to help out their defences and also provide good quality service for the strikers in the box, in the form of crosses.
Secondly, the defensive responsibility that playing under Mourinho’s system involves, is not something that everyone can cope with. For instance, Juan Mata’s lack of defensive endeavour while at Chelsea was what made ‘the Special One’ sell the Spaniard to United in the first place.
However, in Young’s case, the way things were going for him, the only way he could possibly manage to make it to the United first team on a regular basis was if he accepted a change in position and the added responsibility which came along with it. And to his credit, that is exactly what Young did.
In fact, it must be said that Young has not only adapted to his new role, but he has also played the part to perfection as he’s found the right balance between attack and defence which are his primary duties.
However, for all the good work that he has put in as a full-back since the beginning of the season, the two goals that he managed against Watford last month was proof of the fact that he hasn’t lost his goal-scoring ability either, which is great news for all United fans.
And finally, for all those who have ever doubted the ‘improvise, adapt and overcome’ theory, Ashley Young’s success is proof that the age-old theory still works just fine.