Former Man Utd captain reveals the truth behind cold goodbye - it was too late
Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 23.02.26. | 17:24
Everton and Manchester United face off in the last match of this EPL round on Monday night (11 pm). Ashley Young represented both and left a significant mark
Ashley Young didn't slam the door at Manchester United. He just made sure it closed behind him.
After eight-and-a-half years at Old Trafford and 261 appearances, trophies, captain's armband and a Premier League title under Sir Alex Ferguson, Young walked away in January 2020 with zero regrets.
And if there's one line that still stings, it's this:
"A contract offer was made. It was too late. I had made up my mind," revealed Young ahead of the EPL clash between Everton and Manchester United on Monday night (11 pm).
Young arrived at Old Trafford in 2011 as a flying winger from Aston Villa. By the end, he had reinvented himself as a full-back, lifted the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League, and become one of the last men standing from the Ferguson era. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer handed him the captaincy in August 2019. By January, he was gone.
Why? Because Antonio Conte called. And because Italy beckoned.
At Inter Milan, Young didn't fade into the background - he won Serie A.
"It's never easy to leave a club in January," he later admitted. "But looking back, I made the right decision."
No bitterness. Just clarity.
After 18 months in Italy, he returned emotionally to Aston Villa, helped push them back toward Europe under Unai Emery, then joined Everton at 38, where he rattled off 63 league appearances just to remind everyone he wasn't done yet.
"It's been a fantastic two years," he said at Goodison Park. "Ups and downs. People against us. But we stuck together."
PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 27
Saturday
Aston Villa - Leeds 1-1 (0-1)
/Abraham 88 - Stach 31/
Brentford - Brighton 0-2 (0-2)
/Gomez 30, Welbeck 45+1/
Chelsea - Burnley 1-1 (1-0)
/Pedro 4 - Flemming 90+3/
West Ham - Bournemouth 0-0
Manchester City - Newcastle 2-1 (2-1)
/O'Reilly 14, 27 - Hall 22/
Sunday
Crystal Palace - Wolverhampton 1-0 (0-0)
/Guessand 90/
Nott. Forest - Liverpool 0-1 (0-0)
/Mac Allister 90+7/
Sunderland - Fulham 1-3 (0-0)
/Le Fee 76 pen - Jimenez 54, 61 pen, Iwobi 85/
Tottenham - Arsenal 1-4 (1-1)
/Kolo Muani 34 - Eze 32, 61, Gyokeres 47, 90+4/
Monday
23.00: (3.80) Everton (3.70) Man.Utd. (2.00)
***odds are subject to change***