Former Manchester United star Ashley Young has revealed that a late contract offer from the club confirmed his decision to leave Old Trafford in January 2020. The 40-year-old, who spent eight-and-a-half years at United, joined Inter Milan after feeling the club did not show enough commitment to keep him.
Young told The Telegraph in 2023: 'A contract offer was made. It was too late. I had made up my mind. How I saw it was, if United really wanted to keep me, they would have offered me a contract before the interest came in.' The versatile player had been handed the captain's armband by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in August 2019 but left months later.
The gamble paid off for Young, who won the Serie A title with Inter in his second season. He reflected: 'It's obviously nice to win the Premier League and then to go to a new league and win that as well is just incredible. I'm looking back now and I think I made the right decision.'
After 18 months in Italy, Young returned to Aston Villa, helping them qualify for Europe, before joining Everton on a free transfer in 2023. He made 63 league appearances for the Toffees. Now at Ipswich Town in the Championship, Young has also taken on punditry duties for Sky Sports this season.
