Ashley Young named new Manchester United club captain

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has indicated that Ashley Young will be Manchester United club captain for the 2019/20 season. Young replaces Antonio Valencia as club captain, who himself only officially served in the role last season before leaving the club when his contract expired in June. Young wore the armband most often last season, as Valencia was barely on the pitch for most of the year.

Following Valencia and Michael Carrick in 2017/18, Young now becomes the third club captain in as many seasons, with both of the previous skippers being only fringe starters. With the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot’s ability to play either full-back position, it’s likely that Young will continue that trend of being captain in an official capacity, but not necessarily leading the side on the pitch that often.

Solskjaer had delayed his decision on a new captain until the end of preseason. Chris Smalling, Nemanja Matić, Juan Mata, and David de Gea all wore the armband at different points during the summer. Paul Pogba, notably, did not, despite being name-dropped by the manager as a contender for the role. Solskjaer even seemed strangely non-committal when asked about his decision after the win over AC Milan on Saturday.

“David’s obviously in contention, [but] Ash, when he’s on the pitch, will carry the armband. When Ash starts, he’ll be carrying the armband.”

When asked if this meant that the 34-year-old utility man had replaced Valencia as club captain, Solskjaer said, “You can probably call it that.” A ringing endorsement!

What do you think, Reds? Is Young the obvious choice for captain, even though he should hardly play this season? Who else would you liked to have been named skipper? And who do you think will captain the side when Young is not on the pitch?