In a surprising development, Roy Hodgson has tabled a £2.75 million offer for Aston Villa’s England full-back Luke Young. Hodgson tried to sign Young during his tenure as manager of Fulham but without any success. Young, who has been told by Martin O’Neill that he’s surplus to requirements at Villa Park will fill the void left by the exits of Aurelio and Insua. With Phillipe Degen also told to find a new club after a meeting with Hodgson, Young’s arrival was imminent.
Young still has a good three years left on his Villa contract. Villa have been looking to offload Young – one of the highest earners at the club for a long time. Sunderland expressed interest in the 31-year old but negotiations broke down over his salary demands. On current form, Young is a pale shadow of the player who joined Villa from Boro in 2007 for £5.5 million. Young’s stint at Villa was marred by injuries and he was never the same player after he lost his half-brother Andre. Young’s slot at right back was taken over by Carlos Cuellar but he still remained a very popular figure amongst Villa supporters. He got a rapturous applause when he came on as a sub against Blackburn in the last game of the previous season.
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