Ashley Young completes United move

Villa winger Ashley Young today completed his protracted £16million move to Manchester United.

The England international has been in talks with United for weeks and tied up the lose ends today, after passing his medical yesterday.

Young has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at Old Trafford worth around £100,000-a-week, a significant improvement on his £65,000-a-week wage at Villa.

The 25-year-old made his name at Villa Park after signing for £9.5million from Watford in January 2007, making 190 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring 38 goals.

New Villa manager Alex McLeish, who never actually got to work with the player, today said goodbye to Young, on behalf of the club.

McLeish said: "Ashley has made a terrific contribution for Villa over the past four-and-a-half seasons and everyone at the club wishes him the best for the future.

"He has become an important player in the England team during that time and I'm sure he will be looking forward to this new challenge."

Young added that the lure of playing for the Premier League champions was too much for him to consider remaining at Villa.

He said: "The opportunity to come and play for one of the biggest clubs in the world is one I couldn't turn down.

"It's a prospect I always looked at from being a child, to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"I've got that opportunity now so I've just got to take it with two hands."