Ashley Young faced Manchester United for the second time in a matter of days with Aston Villa last night.
Young came on as a late substitute in United’s 3-1 defeat at Villa Park on Sunday and started the EFL Cup clash at Old Trafford last night.
Young played at right-back and did a decent job of keeping Marcus Rashford quiet, although it took for United to go behind to get going.
He did show signs of fatigue in the second half, when he was replaced by Matty Cash, who has just been called up to the Poland squad for the World Cup.
Young sends message to Manchester United fans
He got a warm reception as he went off, getting a standing ovation as a mark of respect for what he gave to the club between spells at Villa.
United twice came from behind to win the game 4-2 and set up a clash with Vincent Kompany’s Burnley in the next round.
Alejandro Garnacho also came off the bench to give United a new dimension and his youth and fearlessness caused Villa all kinds of problems.
Young posted on Instagram after the game, thanking United fans for their support and warmth upon his return to Old Trafford.
Young was converted from a winger to a versatile full-back during his time at United and that is where he is still playing for Villa now.
Even at the age of 37, he is still performing impressively for them as they look to improve under Unai Emery following Steven Gerrard’s sacking.
Young deserved his applause for what he did at United but it was a relief that he did not emerge victorious from Old Trafford after a game which sparked into life after half-time.
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