Young: Signing For Town I Had One Goal
Wednesday, 6th May 2026 16:17
Retiring veteran full-back Ashley Young says he had one goal in what proved to be his final season as a player – to win promotion with the Blues.
The 40-year-old signed for Town last summer after leaving Everton and has appeared only fleetingly with a hip problem having hampered the former England international during the second half of the campaign, making five starts and 10 sub appearances in all competitions.
Prior to Saturday’s 3-0 victory over QPR, Young had announced that he would be hanging up his boots in the summer following a career in which he picked up 39 England caps, scoring seven goals, and won the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League with Manchester United, as well as Serie A with Inter Milan.
Stevenage-born Young won the first medal of his career when he helped local side Watford into the Premier League through the play-offs in 2005/06 and he was delighted to bookend his time as a player by doing much the same with Town.
“From signing here this season, I had one goal. I said to Kieran, ‘I want to get promoted, I want to get this club promoted’,” he said, speaking after Saturday’s match.
“I’ve not been on the pitch since late January and it’s been difficult, but I know I’ve got a voice in the dressing room. I’ve been travelling away with the boys, obviously not in the squad, but to try and help as much as I can.
“I’ve got experience, I’m 40 years old for a reason. I’ve played at the clubs I’ve played at and to see everybody today, knowing it’s in our own hands, we’ve been written off throughout the whole season.
“And there’s a word that’s always stuck with us this season, humility, being humble. The humility that we’ve had, how humble we’ve been, especially in the last couple of weeks, when people have turned around and said, ‘you’re not going to this, you’re not going to do that, you’ve just come out of the Premier League, you’re not going go back up’.
“That group there, not just the players, but the staff, they’ve been terrific, they’ve been unbelievable and fully deserve a day like today.
“With the work that we’ve put in day in, day out, we’ve got a group here which is unbelievable and I’m hoping that next season they go on and do well and stay in the Premier League.”
Manager Kieran McKenna, who previously worked with Young during his time coaching at Old Trafford, has praised the one-time Aston Villa man for his influence in the dressing room, the likes of Sone Aluko, now on the coaching staff, and Richard Keogh having played a similar role at Town in past recent seasons.
“I think because I’ve been able to achieve and probably because I’m old enough to be most of their dads, they will turn round and listen, they will hear what I’m saying,” Young continued.
“It’s one of those things, I’ve been brought up by my mum and dad with my feet firmly on the ground, never getting above my station.
“If I can help in any way, if the boys take any advice that I’ve given to them this season and we’re able to celebrate a day like today, it’s magnificent.
“I started my career at Watford and we got promoted. I’ve finished my career getting promoted.
“I’m never normally lost for words, I normally talk non-stop, but [I was] today, going ahead in the way that we did. I woke up with a feeling that it was going to happen today.”
Reflecting on his success with Town fits in with his other honours in the game, he added: “It’s different to the achievements of winning the Premier League, FA Cups and going to Inter Milan.
“When you’re coming to the end and it’s in your own hands. I’ve gone out in the way that [I wanted]. I might have wanted to be on the pitch to celebrate in that way, but when you’re getting to 40 and your hip starts talking to you and your body starts talking to you, you’re thinking, ‘yeah, it’s time to call it a day’.
“I’ve had a couple of injections throughout the year but when you’ve got an arthritic hip, it’s probably time to call it a day. To look back on it in the way that I have, it’s a fitting way to end a career.”
Quizzed on his immediate plans, he added: “Just to chill out, enjoy family time. I’ve got so much of my family here today. I’m delighted that everyone was here. They’ve been on this journey as well and it’s not been easy. It’s difficult along that way.
“But they’ve been by my side. You miss kids’ birthdays, assemblies, things at school but when you get the rewards like this and then you look ahead, I’ve been doing this for the last 23 years of my life, for the next 23 I can maybe enjoy family time.
“We’re definitely going to do that. A holiday and, to be honest, just to chill out and relax.”
Young has already established himself as a regular on Sky Sports and that’s where he sees his future having no plans to go into coaching or management.
“I think it’ll be the punditry, the media stuff,” he said. “Kieran will tell you when we were at United, he used to say to me, ‘I can’t wait until you’ve got to coach someone like yourself’ because I was a horror at times! I say a horror, I’m just competitive, I’ve got that winning mentality.
“Even in training yesterday, we did a small-sided game and with it being my last training session, I was putting my body on the line, I wanted to win, but we lost it unfortunately. I was thinking, ‘maybe I have to do another year so I can win a small-sided game!’.
“Coaching, the hours are too much. It’s not for me. My younger brother coaches and has been a manager. But having the opportunity to do the punditry has been fantastic and I’ve loved every minute of it.”
Reflecting on McKenna (pictured above speaking with following the final whistle on Saturday, joined by his son Tyler, who is with Town’s U21s), the first Blues boss to win three promotions and first to claim two to the top flight, and all within his first four full seasons as Town manager, Young added: “It speaks for itself. Three promotions, four years is incredible, to be honest.
“I worked with him at Manchester United, I knew what he was like, I knew the man he is. It’s not just him as the manager, him on the pitch, it’s him off the pitch. It’s the reason why I signed here.
“I knew him from Manchester United, I knew his work ethic, we’ve similar work ethics. He probably stays up longer than me at night, he probably gets in earlier than me, but he’s been fantastic for me.
“And I hope that he’ll be able to turn around and say the same thing. I might not have been on the pitch as much as I’ve wanted to, but when I’ve been in the dressing room, when I’ve been on the training pitch, I’ve given everything. I give everything every day anyway.
“He’s fantastic. You see the way that he wants to play football. I think the fans here have to bite their tongue a little bit, they’ve been worried at times, but he’s a fantastic manager and I hope he goes on to have a fantastic career and next season is better than the season when they got relegated. And I’ve got every confidence that he’s going to go on and do that.”
Photo: IMAGO/Every Second Media via Reuters Connect
Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.