Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Barry Bannan’s debt to Ashley Young
Tuesday 9th August 2011, 10:29AM BST.
Villa midfielder Barry Bannan revealed Ashley Young played a big part in helping him deal with the frustration of being in and out of the team last season.
Bannan has impressed during the build-up to this campaign and, with a number of players having left Villa during the summer, is likely to get more opportunities.
And, ahead of Villa’s Premier League opener against Fulham, the Scotland international praised Young, who joined Manchester United for £18million, for his advice.
Bannan said: When I was getting frustrated and not playing, Ashley sang my praises highly and just told me to keep going, because it happened to him when he was young at Watford.
“He got released and he had to go in and just train for nothing, and he was saying to me, ‘I’ve been a lot lower than you, your time will come.’
“Ash had a knockback – and it was probably a bigger one than I had – and look where he is now.
“There were a couple of setbacks for me last season, but you’ll get that in football and I’m just trying to look positively at this season.
“Hopefully, I will be a main fixture in the team.”
Bannan went out on loan at Championship club Leeds towards the end of last season, although he struggled to really make an impact.
But the 21-year-old is determined to force his way into new manager Alex McLeish’s starting line-up.
He said: “It’s a fresh start for everyone with the new gaffer. You’ve got chances to impress again.”
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