Villa boss backs Young’s decision
Saturday 23rd October 2010, 11:29AM BST.
Gerard Houllier today backed Ashley Young’s decision to put contract talks on hold until the summer – and insisted Villa have no intention of selling their star player.
The England man, who has long been linked with Tottenham, has just 20 months left to run on his existing deal and question marks lie over his claret and blue future after he decided to halt discussions over a new four-year agreement until the end of the current campaign.
But Houllier has supported Young’s move, insisting it is “better” for him to concentrate on his football until the season is over.
He said: “I am quite happy with what he has said.
“He loves the fans here, he enjoys his football and since I’ve come here, he’s seen a different regime but he very much enjoys the way he is progressing.
“He wants to concentrate on his football and talk about the contract at the end of the season, which to me is fine, it’s better. I am happy. He looks happy. He is fine.
“He enjoys his football and you know when you are not happy, you don’t improve.
“All I can see is he is a major part of our team and also a major part of our atmosphere.He is lively and jovial. We, the staff, like that, the way he behaves.”
Young had only last month suggested he was close to putting pen to paper on a new deal, while Houllier recently claimed the agreement would come “sooner rather than later”.
And the Frenchman refused to rule out the player being tapped up by another club.
“Well, you never know in football,” the Villa manager said.
“I’ve read that Tottenham are after him and they are closing in. But it’s not a matter of selling him.
“We don’t want to sell him. We want to keep him.Maybe we will keep him until the end of his contract.
“My gut feeling is that we will assess things at the end of the season. He needs to be happy.
“I would say that the trust and the environment would play a great part in his decision.
“And the fact he is playing. He is at an age where he needs to play.”
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