Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Ashley Young.
The former England international will be 36 next month, and joins on a free transfer following his release by Inter.
Young played 26 times in Serie A last season, helping the Nerazzurri win a first Scudetto in eleven seasons.
He returns to Villa having left the Birmingham club for Manchester United in 2011.
Young is Villa's second signing of the summer, and infinitely cheaper than the first - £33million man Emi Buendia.
"It feels amazing to be back, it feels like I’ve not left,” he told VillaTV.
"You can see how much the club has evolved since my time and I’m just ready to get down to work now.”
Ironically, Villa's opponents on the opening day of the Premier League season will be another of Young's former clubs - Watford.
Young was signed by Martin O'Neill for a then club record fee of £8million in 2007. During his first full season at the club he trailed only Cesc Fabregas in terms of league assists.
He scored 38 goals in 190 Villa appearances before heading to Old Trafford.
"When I heard of the interest from Aston Villa, it was straight to my agent ‘get a deal done, whatever you can, get a deal done’,” Young said.
“Watching from afar, seeing the squad, how well they did last season, how well they’ve been doing.
“The staff, the manager, how the players want to play for him; they’ve got that hunger, he’s got that desire, that winning mentality.
“And, for me, I know I’ve got that winning mentality.
“I think someone said (about me) ‘he’s coming to the end of his career’, ‘he hasn’t got that hunger any more’, ‘he’s just going there for a swansong’…
“That’s not me at all, I’ve still got that winning mentality, that winners’ attitude, that desire and hunger to go and win.
“When I see the squad here, the staff and the players, to have the opportunity to join this club again is fantastic for me and I just want to get down to work and bring my qualities, my experience to a young squad.
“I don’t know whether I’m going to be a father figure…
“For me to come here, not to just be around the squad, I want to come here and play.
“Competition for places, I’ve had it at every club I’ve played at, so I’m just delighted to be back here, challenging, challenging the players who were here last season and bringing my qualities and experience to this squad.”
The Newsround | U.S. Open, Euro 2020 & cycling updates!
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
