Premier League 2018-19: Why Manchester United need to replace Ashley Young

Manchester United wing-back Ashley Young has come under a lot of criticism recently after a string of poor performances for the team. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has shown a lot of faith in Young, but that is not being reciprocated by the fans of the club.

Young's sub-par performance cost Manchester United the first goal in the Champions League quarter-final match against Barcelona. He gave away the ball to Lionel Messi in front of the penalty box, and Messi made no mistake in putting it into the net.

In the next match which Manchester United played, against Everton in the Premier League, Young came in as a substitute. But he failed to make any kind of mark, and United suffered a crushing loss.

Then in the Manchester derby, Young was played as a wing-back. In that game, he only played in one cross and that too into the hands of the Manchester City goalkeeper. Many thought Marcos Rojo or Phil Jones would have been a better choice at that stage in the Manchester derby.

The fans have been understandably livid at the lack of contributions from Young on the pitch, and they've been letting their frustration out on social media. A few comments in response to Young's recent performances:

How is Ashley Young ...A. Starting again?B. Still wearing the armband?You can't have your worst player as your skipper, even if he is the loudest on the pitch. You have to lead by example and he should of retired 2 years ago..#AshleyYoung #manutd

— GRIFF ✂ (@GriffyBoi88) April 24, 2019

#AshleyYoung is so bad, how on Earth has he got another year contract 🤷🏼‍♂️🙈

— Ian (@BlindsInGlass) April 24, 2019

If you keep using #AshleyYoung, that team does not have much chance of winning games.

— King Of My Street (@gtoppy1) April 24, 2019

Young is an experienced player, and it would be fair to say there are a lot of expectations from him. But his performances have failed to live up to those expectations throughout the season.

He joined Manchester United back in the summer of 2011 from Aston Villa, and in the initial years showed great promise and poise in his showings. But the fans will not remember any of those golden days if he keeps maintaining his present sub-standard level.

There are a few reasons for Young's inclusion in the lineup: his experience, his skill at long throw-ins, his passing and his defending of the goal. But it is clear to everyone that he has deteriorated a lot, and it doesn't seem like he will relive his glory days again.

All things considered, it seems imperative for Manchester United to sign a better and younger player this summer in place of Young. But whether they actually do that, is anybody's guess.