Internationals: Ashley Young Features In Provisional England Squad As Buendia Sweats

In an interesting insight into Gareth Southgate’s thinking ahead of the controversial World Cup in Qatar, it was revealed that Ashley Young made the provisional England squad.

Young, who has excelled during his second spell at Villa Park, is one of few amongst the squad who could escape criticism as the Steven Gerrard reign collapsed.

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The 37-year-old has appeared as an able deputy whilst Lucas Digne was injured, producing a number of composed performances in a wing-back role. Young has not only stood out for his consistency, but also emerged as a much-needed leader in a Villa squad that had stalled badly in the 2022/23 campaign until the arrival of Unai Emery.

As impressive as Young’s obvious professionalism and raft of elite-level experience, remains his versatility. Young has appeared regularly and can comfortably play anywhere alongside the left, even notching a fine strike against Nottingham Forest, an effort that earned him a Goal Of The Month nomination for October (MOTD).

It’s no surprise therefore that Young has been in Southgate’s thinking, especially with injuries to Reece James and Kyle Walker. Whilst it’s unlikely that the 39 time capped player will make the final 26 man selection, Young might be emboldened given the fact that can cover a range of positions during the tournament.

The former Watford, Manchester United and Inter Milan man might also point to the similarly eye-brow-raising inclusion of 39-year-old veteran Dani Alves for Brazil too.

As we all wait for tomorrow's England squad announcement, I'm told Ashley Young was on Southgate's provisional 55-man list. No real prospect or expectation of him making the 26-man squad but that's still pretty incredible for the 37-year-old

— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) November 9, 2022

In other news:

It remains uncertain if Villa’s club record signing Emiliano Buendia will make the final cut for Argentina.

The South American side have announced a provisional 28 man squad, with the midfielder at risk after limited game time at Villa Park. Buendia has been a peripheral and under-used figure since his arrival but impressed in the recent 3-1 victory over Manchester United. It could be a case of too little too late, however.

Meanwhile, Emi Martinez is all but assured of a place in the squad having established himself as his country’s number 1 and after being a key figure during the victorious Copa America tournament of 2021.

This follows the news yesterday that Douglas Luiz, Diego Carlos and Philippe Coutinho will all miss out for Brazil.

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