As many as four Premier League clubs are trailing the seemingly out-of-favour Manchester United winger Ashley Young
ESPN have claimed Manchester United winger Ashley Young is a transfer target for as many as four Premier League clubs namely – Everton, West Bromwich Albion, Watford and Swansea. The former Aston Villa man, who seems restricted largely to a reserve role, seems to be one of the players that could be offloaded in January by Jose Mourinho to make room for potential additions.
Ashley Young arrived at Manchester United after stellar performances during his time at Aston Villa. The winger started out strongly posting great returns in his debut season with the Red Devils. But the player has since seen a gradual fall down the pecking order and has failed to replicate his first-season exploits, with the debut season remaining the best season of his Manchester United career.
The 31-year-old has found his chances further limited this season, after the appointment of Jose Mourinho as the new Red Devils boss. The winger has featured in just 4 Premier League matches this season with a total of 235 minutes of playing time out of a possible 1260, and has been unable to record a goal or an assist to his name.
Although the inability to record a goal or an assist can be chalked down to the fact that the Englishman has played largely, as a wide defender, there is no doubt that the player is not seen as a key part of the first-team setup by Jose Mourinho, who is seeking to offload some of the less significant players in January.
And, as per the report, a quartet of Premier League clubs in Everton, West Brom, Watford and Swansea are all monitoring Young and are interested in the player’s services.
While West Brom, Everton and Watford are all looking at potential top-half finishes and could do with the addition of a seasoned veteran like Ashley, Swansea seem knee-deep in a relegation battle and perhaps, need more of an injection of fresh faces into their squad compared to the other three.
Young’s current deal is set to expire in 2018 and the winger is unlikely to be handed a new deal. Manchester United may seek to recoup some of their investment in the player and make room in January for other potential arrivals while clearing some apparent deadwood.
Everton and Watford seem financially more able than the other two at the moment, but, at the age of 31, Ashley Young might prefer a move to a club that offers him a better chance at first-team football, which hands West Brom and Swansea an advantage.
Alternatively, if Mourinho is unable to get a quality left-back in the market, he may opt to keep Young at the club until the end of the current campaign. One thing is for sure, come January, there does not seem to be any dearth of choices available to Ashley Young.
