Insights into Ashley Young’s brave comeback after her Everton nightmare

The winner of the Premier League and Serie A has shown all the strength and drive that people say he has to help Everton come back from a rough start to the season.

The few boos that were heard were not meant for Ashley Young, but he could have been understandably shocked. Thousands of Blues fans were shocked when the 39-year-old was brought on as Everton tried to win their Carabao Cup match against Southampton.

People didn’t respond to the veteran trophy winner, but to the fact that the star player who usually plays fullback was being brought on for Beto, who was the only senior striker in a team that was sick or hurt for the game. Many people thought it showed a lack of effort in what could be Goodison Park’s last cup game.

Young didn’t let how people reacted to his entrance stop him from trying to change the game. The player who used to play for Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Inter stepped up under a lot of pressure when the spot shootout went into sudden death. Even though he had experience, his miss seemed like it was doomed to happen. That night, as he stepped onto the holy ground in L4, his fate seemed to be set.

When Young saw Alex McCarthy push his shot off the post, he turned his back on the happy goalie and walked down the field to his teammates. The fact that he was sent off on the first day of the season was another blow to him and his team during a rough start.

The next Saturday at Portman Road could not have been more different, almost exactly one month later. The away fans went wild when Michael Oliver blew the whistle to end Everton’s first away win of 2024.

Up to 3,000 Blues fans had crossed the country in hope, not expectation. When Everton players rushed to join them, the crowd went crazy. Along with goal maker Michael Keane, Ashley Young was at the front of the pack. When he got to the stand, he clenched his hands and yelled with joy at the fans who were singing to him.

In the news conference after the game, Sean Dyche said, “Young was excellent again.” “The other one that people question is him.” I just recently said, “He is a mature professional who knows what it’s like to be questioned, but his mind stays firm.”

That way of thinking has helped a player get back on track after missing a chance. He could have let that break his confidence. Instead, it made him stronger. When there was a problem at the back, he was thrown right into the starting lineup for a very important game at Leicester City just a few days later.

At the King Power Stadium, he played on the left side instead of Vitalii Mykolenko, who was sick. Young’s smart through ball found Iliman Ndiaye open on the edge of the box. Ndiaye had to do a lot to get the ball and score the first goal, but Young’s pass was very smart, so he deserved to be given the assist.

It may have been better for him seven days later, when he was given credit for Dwight McNeil’s amazing long-range equalizer against Crystal Palace, but the fact that he was even there shows how tough he was. Before, he played left back for Leicester. This time, he played right back as Everton won their first game of the season.

After that, Young helped keep two clean sheets as Everton regained the toughness that was so important last season but was missing during the awful start to this one. For Newcastle, he played on the left, and at Ipswich, he played on the right. Again, his flexibility has been very important.

But what’s been most important is the mental toughness. This is a player who has won league wins in both England and Italy, as well as a Europa League medal. He was also a regular in the England team in the past. He revealed last week that he plans to keep playing until he is in his 40s by saying, “I’m just going to take each season as it comes until my body tells me it can’t go on anymore.” Following that, I believe that is the day I will hang up my boots. It might be a few years longer for me, though. I still feel the fittest I have in years.

These words were made after an international break during which he watched his son Tyler Young play his first game for Peterborough United.

At his age, he has to be very disciplined to still be able to play in the Premier League and make an impact. No one would blame him if he wanted to trade Dyche’s famous “Gaffer’s Day” and the ups and downs of Everton’s current situation for beach walks, ice cream, and a quiet life away from the training ground. That’s not going to happen yet, though.

It’s not a surprise to those who know him best. Long-time friend of Young’s said, “He is dedicated, competitive, and passionate, and he plays football for the love of the game.”

“When he was younger, people told him he was too light and small, and he wasn’t even offered a scholarship at first. So, in typical Youngy fashion, he worked even harder to show them they were wrong, and within a year, he made the Watford first team.”

“To sum it up, Ashley is a football player who is living the dream he had as a child every time he puts on his boots. He only thinks about working hard and winning when he does that.”

Dyche has been an important part of Young’s time at Everton. Dyche was a senior member of the Watford team when Young first played for the first team. He likes how honest Dyche is, so when the chance to work with Dyche again came up, he jumped at it.

In the past few weeks, Dyche’s faith has been important. Due to Everton’s injury problems, Young has had to fight back on the field. He knows that the support he has off the field has helped him do well.

“He is very tough, strong-willed, and determined,” the source said. He really enjoys playing football, even though he is 39 years old. He doesn’t think about his age, and he thinks that Sean Dyche, the boss of Everton, is honest and straightforward, just like him.

That connection has shaped Young into the person he is now, but his own strength has been very important. His impact off the field has been shown by what he has been doing on it.

It was a big setback for Everton when they lost a spot shootout at Goodison Park in the Carabao Cup last season. For more than four months, the Blues didn’t win a league game after that, and they were dangerously close to being in the relegation fight.

The opposite effect has been seen after a loss in similar situations this season. Young missed that penalty in front of the Park End, but Everton hasn’t lost in four games. Three games have passed with two wins and two clean sheets. Young has been very important throughout, setting up two goals.

Because of how good he has been, this weekend both Everton fans and someone from Watford’s recent past came together to praise him.

Ipswich was a tough game for Young at right back, but Troy Deeney praised him a lot in his BBC team of the week pick. He never lost a one-on-one match; he just kept running and running for the whole 95 minutes. A showing that showed how well he takes care of himself to keep playing at such a high level at such an old age.