Appointed club captain in the summer after Antonio Valencia’s departure from Old Trafford, Ashley Young has had a rough time of things whilst at Manchester United in recent seasons. The make-shift full-back was booed on the club’s pre-season tour earlier in the summer by sections of his own team’s fans, and reports in recent weeks and months have suggested he could be on his way out of the club too.
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But despite being 34 now, Young has still played a prominent part for United this season. He has made an impressive 17 appearances across all competitions, with 11 of them coming at left-back as per Transfermarkt. Against Wolves in the FA Cup third round however, he was used on the other flank, and didn’t enjoy the greatest of games.
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As per Sofascore, he made just one tackle over the course of the 90 minutes, failed to complete any of his three attempted crosses, and was similarly wasteful with all six of his attempted long balls. And after seeing his performance, United fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the veteran.
A couple of fans appeared to be so fed up with watching Young, that they even urged him to contemplate heading into retirement, with one supporter in particular calling on him to follow Gary Neville’s example.
Another couple of fans raised their concerns over Young’s contract situation, with one supporter in particular suggesting that it would be a sackable offence if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer thought about it.
With his career winding down, Young remains the ultimate professional for United, filling in wherever required. The fact he has refused to complain and kick up a fuss about being played out of position for so long is a testament to his work ethic and commitment to the cause. But United do need to be ruthless, and performances like the one against Wolves proves that the time has come for him to perhaps go.
Meanwhile, Man Utd fans have lauded this former star’s impressive debut for his new club.
