Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has admitted he is resigned to losing Ashley Young over the summer, but the Scot is determined to hold onto Stewart Downing.
Young has been linked with a move away from Villa Park since the end of the season, with Manchester United his reported destination, and McLeish concedes he didn’t expect to be working with the forward next season. "It's not confirmed yet [Young’s transfer to Manchester United] but it does seem likely," he told Talksport.
"In my humble opinion it will be very difficult [to keep hold of him]."However, sorting out the future of Downing is top priority for McLeish and the Scot is determined to keep hold of the former Middlesbrough winger despite interest from Liverpool. "No chance do we want Stewart Downing to go. We certainly don't want to lose Stewart," he continued.
"He's a top player. "I need to see what Stewart's thinking when he comes back because I know that he made some comments when he was away on England duty.”
With the players currently on their summer break McLeish admitted he was going to be working hard behind the scenes to assess the squad, before they return for pre-season training. "I'll have a chat with one or two in the coming days and weeks before pre-season training starts and once I get them in for pre-season training proper then I'll get a better idea," he said.