Pranav Nair
Ashley Young details Solskjaer chat that led to his Manchester United exit
According to Sky Sports (h/t Manchester Evening News), former Manchester United skipper Ashley Young has opened up on the conversation he had with Ole Gunnar Solskajer prior to his exit from the club.
The Englishman joined United in 2011 and was a part of our last Premier League winning side in 2013. He spent close to nine years at Old Trafford before moving on in January 2020 to Inter Milan.
Playing along with former United stars Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez and Matteo Darmian, the Nerazzurri quartet won the club’s first Scudetto title in 11 years.
United were not keen on losing young. However, the player was keen to play regularly and chose to try his luck elsewhere.
He has now revealed that an honest conversation with Solskjaer helped him make up his mind. To the Norwegian’s credit, he appears to have dangled no false hope in front of the veteran star.
“I sat down with Ole at the time and said to him what my chances are going to be here this season playing. He’s a truthful person, I understood everything he was saying to me and he said they were going to be limited.”
A brilliant opportunity
The chance to represent a club such as Inter Milan does not come often. Young was keen to seize the opportunity and did just that. So far, it would appear that the deal has worked well for him.
“To go and join one of the biggest teams in Inter Milan and being told you’re going to play week-in, week-out, it was literally saying to my representatives, let’s get the deal done.”
Young also went on to admit that both Antonio Conte and Lukaku helped him make up his mind to move to Italy. The Inter boss was a keen admirer of the veteran and was interested in him during his stint at Chelsea.
“The fact that Antonio Conte wanted me when he was at Chelsea as well, I think that had a pull and the fact that Rom (Lukaku) kept ringing me when he heard of the interest.”
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Now 35, Young is in the twilight years of his storied career. His contract at the San Siro will expire in the summer and a return to England could be on the cards.
Having started his career at Watford, it would appear that he is keen to complete a full circle. A return to Vicarage Road would be a homecoming that is richly earned.
