No Regrets For Young

LUKE Young was happy at the prospect of a fresh start after a disappointing end to his Aston Villa career

The former Villa defender will meet his ex-team-mates this weekend for the first time, and he admitted to the London Evening Standard that he was pleased at the prospect of leaving Villa Park.

He said: ‘It was one of the most unenjoyable seasons I’ve had in football.

‘Two years before that we were right up there in fourth or fifth come March time and were trying to push on and finish in the Champions League, which seems quite ridiculous now with what happened last season.’

The defender wasn’t too complimentary of former boss Gerard Houllier, stating that he was one of the main contributing factors for his lack of enjoyment last season.

Young continued: ‘Was Houllier like a school teacher? Yes, it was a little bit like that.

‘You always felt you were getting judged on what extra work you were doing and weren’t doing.

‘It was: ‘Are you in the gym doing your extra work, or are you not?’

‘A few things went on that weren’t great. It was a long, hard season and in the end we were really relieved to finish ninth. It seemed a little bit of a false position because it wasn’t a great season for us.’

The former England international made 75 appearances in Claret and Blue scoring twice.

The Harlow-born defender has had previous spells with Tottenham Hotspur, Charlton Athletic and Middlesbrough.