Ashley Young Profile

With an impressive international career alongside plenty of trophies for his clubs, Ashley Young has had a fantastic playing career and is looking to continue that at Everton.

Ashley Young is an English footballer who plays for Everton in Premier League and can play as a winger, full-back or wing-back.

Young started his career at Watford before joining Aston Villa, for the first of two spells at the club. He won the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League at Manchester United and Serie A with Inter Milan.

Young has also earned 39 caps for the England national team.

Making waves at Aston Villa

Young came through the Watford academy and starred for their senior team between 2003 and 2007, helping them win the Championship play-offs at the end of the 2005/06.

Midway through the 2006/07 season, Young signed for Aston Villa for a reported £8million rising to £9.65million with add-ons.

The 2007/08 Premier League season was a breakthrough campaign for Young, as he won several man of the match awards and finished the season with 17 assists, second only to Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas. Young made the best XI for the season - the only player not from the top four clubs that campaign, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, to do so.

Aston Villa finished sixth in the Premier League that season under Martin O'Neill and qualified for the Intertoto Cup third round.

Young won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for the 2008/09 season, with Villa once again finishing sixth in the Premier League. He signed a new four-year contract with Villa in November 2008.

Villa finished sixth once more in 2009/10 with Young playing a starring role.

In the 2010/11 season, Young became Aston Villa vice-captain and played in a free role behind the striker.

However, Villa were a club in gradual decline following the August 2010 resignation of Martin O'Neill after a disagreement over transfer funds. After the 2010/11 campaign came to an end with Villa finishing ninth, Young joined Manchester United.

Ashley Young and Man United

Manchester United signed Young from Aston Villa on June 23, 2011 for a reported fee of approximately £17million. His debut for the Red Devils came in a 3-2 FA Community Shield win over Manchester City and he played the full 90 minutes, picking up an assist.

The 2011/12 Premier League season ended in disappointment as City beat United to the title in the final seconds of the season. Nevertheless, it was a productive campaign for Young as he scored eight goals in 33 appearances in all competitions. Young put in a particularly impressive shift in United's 8-2 win over Arsenal.

Young made 19 Premier League appearances the following season as United won back the Premier League title, with striker Robin van Persie proving the key signing which tipped the balance in Manchester back in United's favour.

Ferguson left after the 2012/13 season, but Young stayed on at United for years to come. Having initially signed for the Red Devils as a winger, he became a full-back in the later stages of his United career.

United's results took a turn for the worse after Ferguson left. Young never got his hands on another Premier League title. The closest he came was in 2017/18, when they finished second to a rampant Manchester City.

Throughout his time at Manchester United - particularly in the early years - Young received criticism for diving. During the later stages, there were some supporters who viewed his presence in the team as symbolic of United's drop in quality.

Nevertheless, he remained a loyal servant to the Red Devils and played a total of 261 matches for Manchester United, scoring 19 goals.

Success at Inter Milan

Young moved to Inter Milan on January 17, 2020 for a transfer fee reportedly around €1.5million.

His impressive performances for the Nerazzurri in 2019/20 under Antonio Conte saw his stay extended beyond the end of the season.

Inter finished second to Juventus in Serie A and made the final of the UEFA Europa League. Young played the full 90 minutes as they were defeated 3-2 by Julen Lopetegui's Sevilla.

During his time in Italy, Young helped Inter Milan to the Serie A crown. In doing so, Young became only the third Englishman to win Italy's top flight title.

Return to Villa Park

After one season in Italy, Young returned to his former club Aston Villa in July 2021 on a free transfer after his contract with Inter Milan had expired.

He was named club captain in the summer of 2022, and scored his first goal for the club in his second spell in October of the same year.

Young made another 57 appearances for Villa over the two seasons, mainly playing at left or right-back.

Switch to Everton

At 38 years old, Young became the Toffees' first summer signing in July 2023, joining on a free transfer after his contract expired at Aston Villa.

Young signed a one-year deal at Goodison Park to work under manager Sean Dyche, who was his captain when first breaking through at Watford.

"The manager was important in me signing," the former England international and Manchester United captain said.

"I know him and know what his passion and desire is like. His honesty, will to work hard and his hunger for the game is second to none.

"I know things haven't gone too well for Everton in the past couple of seasons but the manager's ambition, speaking to him and hearing what he wants to do to change the club around, was a key factor in my decision.

"The other is the size of Everton. It's a massive club and the fanbase is one of the best.

"Having them behind me is a fantastic opportunity. I'm delighted to get the opportunity to be here and I just want to get started now."

Young's international career

Young made his England debut on November 16, 2007, coming off the bench in a friendly against Austria under Steve McClaren.

After England failed to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008, Fabio Capello replaced McClaren as manager. Young did make some appearances under Capello, but failed to make the cut for his 2010 FIFA World Cup squad.

Young cemented his place in the England side between the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. He played in all four of England's matches at the latter tournament, but missed his penalty as Italy beat England in the quarter-finals.

After a four-year hiatus from the national team, Young was recalled by Gareth Southgate ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

That tournament proved to be the highlight of his international career, as he starred in an England side which made the semi-finals for the first time in 28 years.

Personal life

The son of a Jamaican-born father who reportedly followed Tottenham Hotspur, Young grew up supporting Arsenal and idolising Ian Wright. He played schoolboy football with Lewis Hamilton, who is now the most successful Formula One driver of all time.

Young married childhood sweetheart Nicky Pike in 2015. According to reports, they had planned to marry four years earlier, but the wedding had been called off two days prior to the event. The couple have three children.

Young has one older brother and two younger football-playing brothers. One of them, Lewis Young, has been on the books of Crawley Town since 2014, having previously played for Watford.