Manchester United winger Ashley Young has conceded that this season will be his biggest test as a footballer yet.
The 26-year-old moved to Old Trafford from Aston Villa in June and is currently with the England squad, though he is expected to return to Manchester United after Wednesday's friendly with the Netherlands was called off following the riots in London.
Young, who has looked promising in preseason for the Premier League holders, hopes he can cement his reputation and make his mark on the first team.
“This is my biggest season,” The Mirror report Young as having said. “I know that, but if I concentrate on things on the pitch and in training, the rewards will come. People will judge me differently now, because I'm at the biggest club in the world. But I said I wanted to go a club and win titles and medals, play in the biggest competitions - and I've got a chance to do that now. I've got to stamp my authority on the team.”
The winger is excited by the prospect of winning silverware and that when manager Sir Alex Ferguson showed interest in him he wanted to go nowhere else.
“I have not had any fear of joining United at all," Young said. "I have the excitement of winning trophies and winning medals. From the time I heard United were interested and the manager wanted to buy me, there was no other team I wanted to go to. The manager has that aura about him - that winning mentality he instils in you right away. Look at his history; for him to come knocking on your door made it a no-brainer for me to go there."
He knew that coming to the club would be a challenge, given the loaded roster. But he also knew it was something he could handle.
“When I signed he said it was going to be a challenge for me, but I'm a player who challenges myself, said Young of the move. “I want to play at the top level. I want to be a top player. And you want to repay the manager for instilling that confidence now. Every year, I set myself targets as a player, but it's different now that I've left Aston Villa and moved to United. There'll be different competitions I'm playing in, so my targets will be different.
“But as a footballer, you want to play in the biggest competitions and win the biggest competitions. Going to Manchester United and playing in the Champions League, that's one of them. Playing for England in the European Championship. My targets are in my head."
Young has slowly started to become a regular in the England set-up and played influential roles in the friendly win over Denmark and the Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales.
England manager Fabio Capello surprisingly omitted him from the starting line-up in June in the most recent qualifier versus Switzerland.
But his impact after coming on at half-time was unquestionable and he was pleased he staked his claim for a starting spot in future matches.
“Of course I was disappointed not to be starting, but you've got to keep a cool head and concentrate whenever you're called upon,” Young recalled. “I felt I did that. I'm not sure if it was making a point, but it was about me imposing myself on the game. In Denmark, I went on and felt I played well. Getting the winner was good for me. I played against Wales, won the penalty and then set up [Darren] Benty [sic] to score. That was a great feeling and moving to United will help my chances of getting into the starting side.
Playing for the national team is no easy task, but Young said if you have believe in yourself, the positives will come.
“You have to play with confidence," said Young. "I'm a confidence player, and confident in my ability. I've got to concentrate on things going forward now. As the manager is saying, I'm now playing for England as I have done at club level and if I can continue doing that and put in the performances I have done until now, hopefully I can add a few more caps to what I've got."
The summer signing was one of the countless attackers at Manchester United’s disposal in Sunday’s Community Shield game and was effective in his left-midfield role.
The Premier League champions were 2-0 down at half-time to Manchester City which led to Sir Alex bringing young British players Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Tom Cleverley on to freshen the side.
The plan worked and the young team pulled three goals back in the second-half, with Danny Welbeck and Chris Smalling amongst the England hopefuls that shone in United’s comeback.
Young believes it is possible that Old Trafford players can form the core of the England side for years to come like they have done in the past.
“Maybe it could be,” he added. “The manager has bought players [who are] coming through to add to the youth. When Patrice Evra went off, I was the oldest player on the pitch at 26. It is nice that the players who are coming through and those he has bought all have that winning mentality."
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