United £16m Signing a ‘Modern Day Great’

Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock has revealed he believes that Ashley Young is a 'modern day great', as Aston Villa prepare to take on Manchester United on Saturday.

Young left Villa for Old Trafford towards the end of June for a fee believed to be around £16 million, and the winger admitted that when Sir Alex Ferguson made the call, he couldn't say no to a club that would be competing for trophies on all fronts.

And Warnock, whose side are currently eighth in the Premier League table, believes that his old teammate will achieve great things in a lengthy and prosperous career at United.

"I think Ashley will go down as a modern day great for Villa," he told the Daily Mail.

"I wouldn't expect anything less than a good reception for Ashley from our fans.

"He was a great servant to the club but it's not often the Premier League champions and Champions League runners-up want to sign you.

"We're a club who want to progress but Manchester United are at the top and Ashley has aspirations to be a top, top player.

"He has the ability to be one of the best in Europe and I don't think fans can begrudge him that."

United were relatively quiet during the summer transfer period, and signed just three players - Young, David de Gea and Phil Jones.

And all three have proven integral to the United squad, with Young scoring five goals in 15 appearances for the Red Devils.

United have come into a few disappointing results over the last couple of weeks - the club have suffered from a controversial draw with Newcastle in the league and also with Benfica in the Champions League thereafter.

And after losing to Crystal Palace in the Carling Cup last night, the side are relying on their positive notes to shine through and show that the club can still challenge for trophies both domestically and in Europe.