Ex-Man Utd star Ashley Young offered return to boyhood club amid retirement decision

Ashley Young has no plans to retire despite turning 40 and is attracting interest from Watford, where he first began a career that has seen him play for 22 seasons. The ex-Manchester United star made more than 30 appearances for Everton last term, proving that he can still play regularly in the Premier League, but was let go by the Toffees and is on the lookout for a new club.

A romantic option emerging could see him head back to Vicarage Road with the Hornets, who are looking to land promotion from the Championship this season. Young is yet to drop out of the top flight since helping Watford win promotion back in 2006.

TalkSport reports that the club have no concerns over his age or fitness, but will leave the final decision to new boss Paulo Pezzolano as he plots his recruitment. Young previously made 100 appearances for Watford, scoring 22 times before leaving midway through their relegation year in 2007.

The veteran has now plans to call it a day and recently said: “It's been one of those things where I've played so much this season. I feel so fit. I've not felt as fit as I have done for years. I just want to continue playing, however that may look, however that may seem, I'm not ready to retire.

“I'm definitely going to carry on next season. Whichever way that is. I'm not getting any younger. I'm going to be 40 in July. I feel as fit as when I was in my 20s. I'm definitely going to continue. The stats are there - I've played 31 times this season and I feel I can keep going.”

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After leaving Watford, Young's career continued to go from strength to strength. Whilst he was at Villa, he continued to impress and played in a side that threatened to crack the top four. He spent more than four years at Villa Park before catching the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson.

United signed Young for £17million in 2011 and he was an instant hit, winning his one and only title in his second season with the club. He would later enjoy a renaissance at a converted wing-back and that saw him continue playing for England, where he won 39 caps.

He would leave Manchester in 2019 to join Inter Milan, where he spent two years before returning to England to have a second spell with Villa. Everton were the next club on his CV and Watford could now look to utilise that experience to aid their ambitions this term.

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