Having snapped up Phil Jones from Blackburn earlier this month, Man United continue their summer of domestic acquisitions with the capture of Ashley Young on a five-year deal from Aston Villa for a fee believed to be in the region of £15m.
Young arrived at Old Trafford on Wednesday for a medical and, having agreed personal terms, the transfer was completed following weeks of speculation. With the player out of contract next summer and having already announced he had no intention of extending his Villa Park career, new boss Alex McLeish had little option but to sell his prize asset within days of arriving from Birmingham, saying:
”Ashley has made a terrific contribution for Villa over the past four and a half seasons and everyone at the club wishes him the best for the future. He has become an important player in the England team during that time and I’m sure he will be looking forward to this new challenge.”
Upon completion of the deal, Young had this to say to United’s own tv channel:
“The opportunity to come and play for one of the biggest clubs in the world is one I couldn’t turn down. It’s a chance to hopefully become part of their history by helping to win the 20th title…It’s a prospect I always looked at from being a child: to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world. I’ve got that opportunity now so I’ve just got to take it with two hands.”
The Statistics
Aged eighteen, Young made his debut for Watford but the first couple of seasons were largely uninspired, with just 3 goals and 1 assist from 39 appearances. The arrival of Aidy Boothroyd as the new Hornets boss in 2005-06 transformed the winger, with Young scoring 14 goals and making 13 assists to help fire the club out of the Championship and into the Premier League.
Young spent just half a season as a Watford player in the top-flight, although a series of impressive performances persuaded Martin O’Neill to splash out £8m to bring him to Villa Park. Since his arrival, Young has established himself as one of the most consistent wide men in the Premier League. Young spent four-and-a-half seasons in the Midlands, playing 157 league games, scoring 30 goals and providing 44 assists, and has become a recent fixture in the England squad of late, scoring 2 goals in 15 appearances.
Young missed just 4 games last season for Villa, scoring 7 goals and picking up 11 assists on his way to scoring 160 FPL points last season, the fifteenth highest total of last term. Young was also a favourite with the Bonus Point judges, grabbing 27, the seventh best total in 2010/11. This return followed hauls of 7 goals and 9 assists in 2008/09 and 5 goals and 11 assists in 2009/10.
The Prospects
At present, Young’s arrival at Old Trafford merely clouds the waters for Fantasy managers- Antonio Valencia’s broken ankle restricted him to 10 appearances last term and allowed Nani the game time to resultantly finish 2010/11 as top-scoring player in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), but if all three are fit and battling for the wide spots along with Ji Sung-Park, the Fantasy appeal of these players takes a severe blow. With Sir Alex Ferguson spoiled for choice, who can predict his first XI from one gameweek to the next?
Young’s adaptability as a second-striker may improve his selection chances when Ferguson decides to rest the likes of Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez on occasion but, again, this scenario is too unpredictable and does not strengthen Young’s Fantasy appeal. If anything, Young’s adaptability reduces pre-season confidence in the likes of Hernandez.
With his fair share of set-pieces and corners, in addition to penalty kicks thrown in, Young was something of a solid, albeit sometimes frustrating, Fantasy pick last term. Indeed, it’s worth noting that four of his seven goals were spot-kicks. It’s difficult to imagine that Young will be granted similar opportunities at Old Trafford. He will surely find competition for direct free-kicks, while Rooney will be expected to tie up penalty duties once again.
Priced at 8.5 last season, a similar value can be expected in the upcoming FPL campaign. There’s every possibility that his initial value will be hiked given his level of consistency at Villa – further reducing his appeal.
The only real positive aspect of the move from a Fantasy angle is the knock-on effect at Villa. The potential of Stewart Downing, if Alex McLeish can persuade the ex-Boro man to stay at Villa Park, will undoubtedly increase, with young Marc Albrighton possibly being given the chance to establish himself in Big Eck’s starting XI.
Young’s 27 Bonus Points last season represented 25% of Villa’s overall haul in that area – Downing and Albrighton would seem well placed to benefit from some of those points next term, while set-pieces will also be up for grabs. Darren Bent looks another likely beneficiary – he will surely be granted responsibility from the spot at Villa Park – a factor that will further boost his appeal for Villa’s kind run of opening opponents.
While Young’s departure will hinder Villa’s attacking progress next season – in Fantasy terms, the likes of Bent, Downing and Albrighton may yet emerge as stronger propositions. Until we know more on Alex Ferguson’s thinking and his likely first choice lineup, the same cannot be said for a host of United’s attacking talent.
