Ipswich Town: Ashley Young's first interview with Blues

Ashley Young is aware of the chat. At 40 years of age, the Premier League veteran has just become Ipswich Town's oldest-ever signing.

Not that he thinks that is an issue. With that age comes years of experience at the highest level, playing for the likes of Manchester United, Aston Villa and Everton.

READ MORE: 🚨DONE DEAL: Town make veteran Young their fourth signing of summer

He's won 39 caps for England too, plus lifted the Premier League title, FA Cup and Europa League in his time at Old Trafford.

Oh, and he's won a Serie A title as well, when he spent a year with Inter Milan in 2020/21.

Ashley Young has signed a one-year deal at Town (Image: Richard Calver) Asked about his role at Town, Young - who started 19 top tier games at Everton last season - said: “I think just to gel into the squad straight away, that’s the main focus for me.

“And to bring my experience, my leadership, not just that but my footballing ability, that’s what I’m here for. I’ve come here to play football.

“A lot will be talked about my age but a lot of football talk is about stats these days and I played 32 Premier League games last season.

“I couldn’t tell you the stats about how many games I’ll play, but what my focus is on is getting this club back into the Premier League, that’s all I’ve got to focus on now.”

READ MORE: 'A very strong signing' - McKenna hails arrival of 'hungry' veteran Young

Asked what brought him to Suffolk, Young said: “I think the manager played a big part in that.

"I worked with him at United, I know his beliefs, I know what he wants to do for this club, I’ve seen what he’s done with this club as well.

“Obviously it was disappointing last season, but speaking to him before joining, I knew that I wanted to come and play under him.

"I know how passionate he is about football and what he wants to achieve and that’s to get back to the Premier League."

Young lifts the FA Cup with Manchester United in 2016 - he's won pretty much everything you can win (Image: Nick Potts/PA Sport) The McKenna factor is something that almost every player who signs for the club cites as a major pull. Young understands why.

“He’s a winner," he explained. "You see that on the training pitch, you see that on the sidelines of the games.

“I’ve seen that day in, day out when I’ve worked with him previously. He was a massive pull, but the club as a whole as well, the fanbase, the players.

“Coming up against Ipswich sides, it’s never easy to play against an Ipswich side.

"The excitement of last season, there’s definitely something to build on this season to get the club back into the Premier League.”

READ MORE: Town target Ashley Young watches son on trial with Blues U21s

McKenna's success has made him one of the most in-demand bosses in the game, so has he changed since Young worked with him at Old Trafford?

Have game, will travel - Ashley Young brings a lot of experience to Town (Image: PA Sport) “He hasn’t!" Young insisted. "He’s the same. You do get managers who come out of the Championship and go to the Premier League who change, but he hasn’t, he’s stayed the same way.

“He’s just the same, he’s still got that hunger, that desire for football, he lives and breathes football. The passion that he shows, it reflects on the players.”

The rise and rise of Town, from the doldrums of League One to back-to-back promotions, is a remarkable story, even allowing for last season's relegation.

And, like the rest of those involved in the game, Young has been impressed.

Young has won 39 England caps (Image: PA Sport) “You can see that the club as a whole is a family club," he enthused. "You can see the players, the passion that they play with on the pitch. They emulate what the fans want to see and the manager is exactly that way as well.

“You see his passion, it runs down, it filters all the way through the club and just being here today, you get that feeling from everyone that’s around the club.

“The project is to get back to the Premier League, it’s that simple.

“We know it’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be tough, especially coming back down from the Premier League.

“But I think everyone has bought into the manager’s ideas, his thought processes of wanting to get the club back.

“When you have a taste of the Premier League, you want more and more of that, so I think everyone’s going to be chomping at the bit to get back out there and get back in the Premier League.”

READ MORE: 'As long as we get back' - Szmodics on Town's promotion aim and his best position

Getting out of the Championship is something Young has done too, escaping the second tier with Watford in the 2005/06 campaign, via the play-off final.

Ashley Young, right, celebrates promotion to the Premier League with Watford (Image: PA Sport) So what will it take for Town to make it three promotions in four seasons for Town in 2025/26?

“When I did it, it was quite a long time ago," he said. "The Championship has changed a lot.

“It takes everything the manager will talk about - togetherness out on the pitch, away from the pitch, being strong together.

“Everything that you do, it’s all about working hard. When you’re in day in, day out, it’s about working hard and you get the success from there.

“The club will know how tough the Championship is. It’s not easy to get out of, but when you’re in the right frame of mind and you’ve got the right focus, then I’m sure it will happen again this season.”

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