Aston Villa unfazed by Ashley Young's decision to end contract talks

Gérard Houllier has warned that Aston Villa have no intention of selling Ashley Young after the winger unexpectedly informed the club he would not re-enter negotiations on a new contract until next summer. Young has only 18 months remaining on his deal and his transfer value will be significantly less come the end of the season. The 25-year-old is admired by a number of clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, who have long harboured genuine interest and could try to sign him for a cut-price fee, especially if Gareth Bale was enticed from White Hart Lane. Houllier, however, insisted Villa have no interest in selling Young and suggested that the club may yet decide to hold the England international to the remainder of his contract, after which he would be able to leave on a free transfer. The most likely scenario, though, is that a definitive decision will be reached one way or another at the end of the season, when both parties will revisit the situation. Young's decision to break off from negotiations represents a considerable change in stance from the summer, when he expressed his desire to commit his long-term future to the club. Houllier was asked whether the player may have been tapped up. "Well, you never know in football," the Villa manager said. "I've read that Tottenham are after him and they are closing in. But it's not a matter of selling him. We don't want to sell him. We want to keep him. Maybe we will keep him until the end of his contract. My gut feeling is that we will assess things at the end of the season. He needs to be happy. I would say that the trust and the environment would play a great part in his decision. And the fact he is playing. He is at an age where he needs to play." Houllier said he has no reason to doubt Young's motivation for stalling on the talks that were initiated at the end of August. "I think it's true when he said he wanted to concentrate on his football. I've talked to him and told him that the main thing for him is to step up a level. To do that, you can't lose two or three months talking about what might happen. We will sit down at the end of the season. That's fine. I'm happy with that." With James Milner and Gareth Barry having already left Villa for Manchester City, Houllier is aware fans will be concerned that another influential player could be about to depart. The Frenchman is confident, however, that the outcome will be different. "To me, the main thing is that we show we want to keep him. We like the boy. He, I think, likes the place where he is. It's a matter of time if he signs now or at the end of the season."