Young coming to terms with tragedy

Villa defender Luke Young has admitted he is still coming to terms with his half-brother’s death after setting his sights on re-establishing himself as the club’s first-choice right-back.

The England international made his first Premier League start of the season in Saturday’s 5-1 win over Bolton after missing pre-season with a thigh injury and the tragic death of sibling Andre on the eve of the new campaign.

Young revealed the minute’s silence held before kick-off for the war heroes brought memories of his half-brother flooding back.

He said: “It all came back to me when we had the minute’s silence before kick-off. It was quite emotional for me. But it’s a long time gone now and I’m ready to focus on my football. I’ve been ready for quite a while now – I’ve just been itching for a chance.”

Young admitted he initially found it hard to focus on football after the tragedy.

He said: “In the first few weeks I didn’t really want to do anything. It was really tough early on. Then you come in, train hard and get stuck in. It gives you something else to think about.”

After a frustrating few weeks waiting in the wings, the 30-year-old now aims to hold on to the jersey.

He said: “I couldn’t get straight back into the team because the lads were doing so well. Rightfully there was no room at the inn for me.

“Circumstances got me a game on Saturday with suspensions and injuries.”

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This article was posted on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 11:00 am.
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