10 Man Utd Players Who Should Fear For Their Future

6. Ashley Young

It feels like a lifetime ago, but it has only been three summers since Manchester United decided to complete a deal for Aston Villa winger Ashley rather than pursuing Udinese wide-man Alexis Sanchez. Enough time has now passed to reflect and review the utter madness of that decision. The 29 year old is into his fourth season at Old Trafford, and has largely flattered to deceive. He has never played more than 25 league games in a season for the club, nor bettered his six league goals mustered during his debut campaign. The club was expected to get rid of the former Watford forward this summer, but with van Gaal apparently having discovered a gem by deploying him as a wing-back in a 3-5-2 during the pre-season friendlies in America, it looked like there might just be some redemption for the £16 million €˜flop€™.

''I am enjoying playing there. The game against Inter Milan was only the second time I had played there, but it is a new system, we go through it in training and I feel capable of going out there and doing well. But as long as I۪m in the team and helping us get the results we want, then it doesn۪t matter if it۪s on the left, right or just off the striker. I am quite a versatile player, wherever I۪m picked I go out and give 110%. If I can continue producing performances like the one in Washington, then I can hopefully stay in the team.۪۪ - Ashley Young,

Any of that brief optimism was quickly extinguished, however, as Young reverted back to type once the season began, displaying three tepid performances before a groin injury sidelined him for a month. With Luke Shaw and Angel Di Maria occupying the berths he might have hoped to contest for, it€™s no surprise that Young has managed just 14 minutes of action in the last four games.