Just when you thought you’d heard the last of Ashley Young vs Dele Alli, along comes the international break to give us little else to write about…
The pair went nose to nose during Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham the other weekend – Alli reportedly saying something about how a 32-year-old Young needed a zimmer frame; the United man responding by reminding him that he’d got a Premier League winner’s medal. Lovely stuff.
Days later, both men appeared set for a reunion as Gareth Southgate named them in his England squad for friendlies against Germany and Brazil. This, however, was not to be.
Alli, like around 85% of every professional English footballer eligible for selection for the friendlies, has since made it clear that he is carrying an injury. As a result, he’s withdrawn from the squad, much to the disappointment of Young.
“Yes of course, it would be nice to see him,” a smiling Young told Sky Sports. “Things happen on football pitches. Once the game is finished, you don’t need to talk afterwards. That’s just how it is.”
Young, who has been Jose Mourinho’s first choice left-wing back in recent weeks, also added that he believed his versatility had earned him a recall to the national side.
“As a footballer nowadays you have to be able to adapt and play in different positions, different formations, different systems,” he explained. “It’s just whether you can adapt to that.”
