Carlton Palmer says Young is ‘great asset’ for Gerrard

Ashley Young has an uncertain future at Aston Villa as he’s out of contract in the coming months and isn’t commanding a starting place under Steven Gerrard, but Carlton Palmer believes he’s worth retaining for at least another season because he’s a ‘great asset’.

The 36-year-old re-joined Villa on a 12-month deal from Inter Milan last summer and has gone on to make 19 appearances in all competitions this season, grabbing two assists. Young has started only eight Premier League games from a possible 28, however, as Matt Targett/Lucas Digne and Matty Cash were preferred at left-back and right-back respectively.

Although Young is playing a supporting role in the eve of his career, Palmer believes he has value in the squad and will be a player Gerrard wants to keep around. He told Give Me Sport: “Of course you want to keep somebody like Ashley around.

“He can play numerous positions on the football pitch, and we’ve seen that with Milner. It’s a great asset to have, and they actually become very important players at the football club.” Young can operate at fullback and on the wing, so he’s a very useful player to have in the squad.

The England international is likely to come in for the injured Digne when Villa host Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, so Gerrard clearly rates Young highly. He won the Serie A tile with Inter last season too, so he’s a champion in two different countries. Not many players boast that kind of CV.

In other news, Dean Jones says Aston Villa have ‘problem’ signing Philippe Coutinho