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Ashley Young has signed a five-year contract with Manchester United on a fee believed to be around £15m to Aston Villa.

I am sure that United fans everywhere are celebrating this development. The club has been tracking the pacey left winger for a while and I am glad that the club are finally signing him. This bodes well not just for United, but looks to benefit England as well. Together with Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Danny Welbeck amongst others, manager Sir Alex Ferguson appears to be building his next team with a strong core of English players.

Does anyone remember the last time United had a pure left winger? When I first started watching football, Ryan Giggs had just taken over from Lee Sharpe on the left wing and since that time, I can only think of Jesper Blomqvuist. An argument can be made for Nani and Park but they are not left wing specialists. Young looks to be a worthy successor to the Giggs of old: He can tear apart defences with his dribbling, pace, ability to whip in dangerous crosses and score the odd goal. With Giggs still at the club, I’m sure he will be able to aid Young’s development.

Valencia has shown the value of width to United’s game and with this signing, United will be able to pose a threat down both wings. How do you see this playing out? Share your opinions in the comments section below.