Young Set To Stay Out Wide

Sir Alex Ferguson feels Ashley Young is unlikely to be handed a central attacking role at United in the near future.

The summer signing from Aston Villa enjoyed an impressive debut at West Brom, assisting both goals in the 2-1 victory, and looks well suited to his left-wing role.

Young shone in a central role for both Villa and England before joining United and some pundits still reckon it's his best position, but the intense competition for places at Old Trafford means it's unlikely the 26-year-old will move inside for the time being.

"Ashley can play in different positions but I'm not saying it's going to happen at the moment," said Sir Alex. "He's filling the left-hand side very well but there's options to play him right or off the front.

"The option to play him centrally is not looking great for him, though, with Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Dimitar Berbatov plus even Ryan Giggs can play there. So we're looking more at the wide positions for him.

"But it can help a player in terms of the consistency of playing. John O'Shea, for instance, wasn't in a starting position all the time but, because of his versatility, he made nearly 400 appearances for us in his career here."