Former Villa boss Graham Taylor believes that the ongoing success of winger Ashley Young is testament to the player’s resilience and determination.
Taylor was in his second spell in charge at Watford, before beginning a second spell as Villa boss, when Young was coming through the youth ranks at Vicarage Road.
His performances when he broke into the first team, and his star turn during Watford’s ill-fated season in the Premier League, persuaded Villa boss Martin O’Neill to pay an eyebrow-raising £9.5million for his services in January 2007.
The fee remains the highest Villa have paid for a player, and the highest the Hornets have ever recieved for a player, but Taylor revealed that Watford very nearly let him slip out of their grasp.
He said: “We had him as a boy in my second spell at Watford. He was coming through the set-up.
“The youth team coach Chris Cummings had a lot to do with his development.
“After I left, they were going to release him and it was only through Chris - and Ashley himself - that they kept him on amateur forms.
“For six months, Ashley kept going to the club, rather than getting another job, proving he was well worth a contract.
“Watford owe a lot to Chris for getting that money for Ashley.
“Martin O’Neill admitted at the time that he probably paid too much.
“It’s already been proved that he didn’t.”
2 Comments
Graham,great manager.Wish the Wolves would have kept you for longer but just shut up now.
He may not have seemed a bargain at the time and I must admit I did have reservations about him, but I think MON should be offering him another contract, with what has happened with Gareth Barry over these last few weeks I wouldnt be surprised theres another snake in the grass like Benitez waiting to unsettle him.