Ashley Young has been around the block so many times his name has now become ironic.
Starting out at Watford a full two decades ago, the future England international quickly made an impact as a sometime winger, sometime forward, who helped fire the Hornets into the Premier League.
Even in the midst of a subsequent - and doomed - relegation fight, he impressed that year, leading to numerous big-money bids coming in, with Aston Villa securing his signature at the start of 2007.
At Villa Park, Young earned an international call-up after confirming over several seasons that he was the real deal, bewitching full-backs on a weekly basis, a low centre of gravity and quick feet meaning he could cut inside or race to the byline, both to good effect.
In his first full campaign in the Midlands, he carved out 17 assists and was selected for the PFA Team of the Year come May. By the time Manchester United came calling in 2011 he was a legend around those parts.
His nine years at Old Trafford was a rollercoaster that took in title wins and sustained periods of crisis.
Following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson the Reds’ may have slipped down in the Premier League odds but that was no fault of their versatile winger, who in later years began to drop back and inhabit the full-back role.
Indeed, Young played all over, and always a willing runner, and a model of consistency, he is recalled fondly in the North-West.
A move to Inter Milan came next, the player becoming only the third Englishman to win a Serie A title (the others being Jimmy Greaves and Gerry Hitchens). And then it was back to Villa, his spiritual home, where Young presumably believed he would see out his career.
This summer though, at the very seasoned age of 38, Everton swooped, offering one last swansong. A few more treks up and down the left flank.
That’s assuming of course, that Ashley Young isn’t immortal, a far-fetched theory for sure, but a reasonable suspicion too given how long he’s been a feature of the Premier League.
In fact, for almost all of our existences, he’s been a stitch in the fabric of our footballing lives. Usually playing really well against our team, before dropping off the radar for a while.
And in that vast expanse of time, he has seen it all and done it all.
Young was at the Stadium of Light in 2012, when United thought they had snatched the league title only to be deprived by Sergio Aguero’s last-gasp strike.
He was there at the FA Cup final in 2016 when Alan Pardew did his dad-dance on the touchline, believing the Eagles had upset the football betting only to be disproven.
He has played under Ferguson, Martin O’Neil, Antonio Conte, Gerard Houllier, David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho.
For England, he missed a pen in the Euro 2012 quarters as the Three Lions exited to Italy, then played the full 90 in a World Cup semi six years later.
For all of these events, and under all of these gaffers, Ashley Young was never the star turn. But he was there, durable, consistent. It will be just plain odd when he is no longer on a team-sheet in the top-flight, if indeed that is ever the case.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
