Manchester United captain Ashley Young is reportedly set to be released by the club at the end of the current season.
As reported by the Evening Standard, Manchester United are planning on releasing club captain and veteran defender Ashley Young when his contract expires at the end of the 2019-20 season.
Young arrived at Manchester United from Aston Villa in the summer of 2011 and has gone on to rack up over 250 appearances, bagging 19 goals and setting up 43 more so far. The 34-year-old has won one Premier League title, one FA Cup, one League Cup and one UEFA Europa League title during his time at the club.
Having started out as a winger, the Englishman has been used as a full-back in recent years by the club. And, while he was appointed the club captain following the departure of Antonio Valencia last summer, the seasoned campaigner has fallen behind a number of youngsters in the pecking order.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is Manchester United’s first-choice right-back with Diogo Dalot being his understudy, while Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams, who is enjoying a breakout season, are ahead of Young for the left-back position.
This has seen a reduction in game time for the 34-year-old, who has featured in 15 matches this term, scoring and assisting one goal apiece.
Young had signed a new one-year contract with Manchester United in February earlier this year, which is set to run out at the end of the ongoing campaign. And as per the aforementioned report, there have been no talks held between the two parties over the possibility of a renewal.
With manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expected to invest heavily in the squad over the next two transfer windows, there are likely to be a number of exits from Old Trafford come summer, with Young reportedly one of those players.
Young is understood to have accepted that he will most likely be on the move in the summer, given that his first-team opportunities are set to get more and more scarce going forward. The 34-year-old will be free to hold talks with foreign clubs starting next month.
It seems like Young’s association with Manchester United will come to an end this summer after nine years at the club, unless the Red Devils put forth a new contract in the coming months.
