Ashley Young sends message to Manchester United fans after Aston Villa reception

Aston Villa full-back Ashley Young has thanked Manchester United fans after receiving an ovation from the home supporters.

Young joined the Reds from Villa back in 2011. In his nine years at Old Trafford, the England international made 261 appearances for the club winning the Premier League, Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup.

In January 2020, the 37-year-old's time in Manchester came to an end when he was sold to Inter Milan. After a year and a half in Italy, Young returned to Villa Park and has enjoyed a career renaissance in the West Midlands.

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So far this season, the Stevenage-born defender has made 29 appearances for Villa, scoring a goal in a draw against Nottingham Forest back in October. Young featured for 64 minutes on Sunday before he was replaced by Calum Chambers.

Despite being on the end of a negative result, the ex-Red took to Twitter post-match to send a message to his former supporters. He wrote: "Not the result we wanted but fought until the end to get something out of the game.

"Always special going back to Old Trafford, very thankful for the reception from the fans." United took a big step towards securing their Champions League spot against Villa after a 1-0 win at the Theatre of Dreams.

Just over five minutes before the end of the first half, Emi Martinez parried the ball into the path of Bruno Fernandes who fired home the winner. Before kick-off, a large section of supporters took part in a protest against the Glazer family as the takeover process continues to rumble on.

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