Young Answers Fan's Questions

Ashley Young recently spoke to 12th Man, the magazine for Manchester United season-ticket holders, with fan Vorapoj Khongpol posing the questions...

Who is your favourite player of all time?
Ian Wright. I always used to watch him when I was growing up and he was somebody that I looked up to. His attitude towards the game was fantastic.

Who were your childhood team?
I used to watch a lot of football when I was growing up and you always remember waiting every Saturday for Match of the Day to start! Because I looked up to Ian Wright, I watched Arsenal quite a bit but, when you get that little bit older, you concentrate on your own career.

Which is your favourite position to play in?
I like to play on the left side. As a right-footed player, you can cut inside, have a shot and link up with the midfielders and forwards. As long as I'm in the team and helping us get the results we want, then it doesn't matter if it's on the left, right or just off the striker. I am quite a versatile player, wherever I'm picked I go out and give 110 per cent.

Who's the toughest defender you've ever had to play against?
I'd have to go for Wes Brown. He has everything a centre-back needs - strength, pace and the ability to tackle - and he is still a top, top player at Sunderland. He was really tough to play against in training sessions with England so I was always happy to have him on my team. He was a great guy in the England dressing room too.

How do you prepare yourself for a big game?
I have one or two pre-match rituals. I always put everything on left-side first. So I put my left sock on first, my left leg into my shorts, my left boot on and then my left arm into my shirt first. It's something I've always done and it's stuck with me.

I'm quite relaxed before games and I like to listen to music but I'm always focused on what we need to do. As soon as the whistle goes, I'm ready.

What's been your favourite Manchester United moment so far?
Winning the league - 100 per cent. What a feeling that was - especially with it being the club's 20th title. For me, that's why I joined this club - to win titles and that's why we're so disappointed with how it went this season. We want to kick on next season and get back to challenging on all fronts.

What do you think you'll do when you retire from playing?
Hopefully, I'm a long way off retiring yet! [laughs] It's not something you think about as you're concentrating so much on the season you are in. Maybe in a few years, I will start to look at that but, at the moment, I'm always thinking about the next game and how we can prepare and focus ourselves on getting a good result.

Do you like to cook and if so, what's your speciality dish?
[Laughs] Well, I try! I have a family so it's about cooking for the kids first and then looking after myself afterwards. As a footballer, your diet is important so I tend to cook a lot of chicken and pasta, quite simple, but I'd say that's what I am best at.

Where is your favourite holiday destination?
I'd go for Dubai. I've been quite a lot over the past few years and there's always nice weather and nice restaurants. It's got everything you need, it's really enjoyable to be able to relax and take stock, especially after a difficult season. You have a few days where you switch off but then your thoughts are looking ahead to the new season and being successful again.