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Football

23rd Apr 2019

Gary Neville explains why Ashley Young doesn’t deserve the level of criticism he’s faced

Young has been the target of plenty of criticism in recent weeks

Darragh Murphy

Gary Neville has come to the defence of Ashley Young yet again.

Neville continues to insist that the Manchester United fans who have directed their recent frustrations towards Young are wrong to do so.

Young’s performance throughout the recent downturn in form for United has landed him on the receiving end of plenty of criticism from supporters but Neville believes that the critics are looking at the wrong area.

Fresh from United’s humiliating 4-0 defeat to Everton on Sunday, Neville explained why Young should not be ridiculed at the rate he is.

“At the moment, the player who is talked about the most, [Paul] Pogba is always talked about the most, but the player I’ve seen mentioned most in the last 10 days for Manchester United is Ashley Young,” Neville told Sky Sports.

“Ashley Young has been at the club 10 years, paid very little for him in terms of the market norm, he’s been absolutely work ethic all the way through.

“Don’t pick on Ashley Young.

“He’s been asked to play at left-back and at right-back and at left wing-back and right wing-back to cover up for the mismanagement of the recruitment.

“So the idea that you turn on Ashley Young… he’s the last person I would turn on.

“He’s the one who is actually, to be fair, going out there week in week out, playing in a position that’s relatively foreign to him in the last two or three seasons, he’s absolutely giving his all.

“He’s hurting on the pitch, I can see it.

“And yet, the focus in the last week has been Ashley Young – he’s not this, he’s not that.

“That is the wrong place to start. Get away from him, start with the ones who set the influence in the dressing room, the ones who have got the capability to be the best in the world.”

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