Finally, Villa’s talismanic part-time captain Ashley Young will in no uncertain terms be staying with the club, for the meantime at least. In a press conference this morning Villa manager Gerard Houllier stated that there was no way the 25-year-old would be leaving amid reported renewed interest from Liverpool. It had been mooted that Young would be a target of the Anfield club were the deal for Fernando Torres to join Chelsea go through having already seemingly been eager to reinvest in the likes of Luis Suarez and potentially Andy Carroll. Villa’s French boss refuted claims that a bid had been made for his star man, stating, “I can confirm that Ashley is a highly-rated player and highly liked by everyone at Aston Villa. No way is he going to leave.” The recent transfer rumours have surrounded the England international as his contract expires in 18 months. After previously seeming keen to renew his deal, Young through his Villa future in doubt by revealing that he would not be opening contract discussions until the end of the current season.
