Houllier persuaded by the merits of a more advanced central role for Young

SOCCER:GERARD HOULLIER, who has finally put pen to paper on a three-year contract at Villa Park, appears to have changed his mind about Ashley Young's best position after watching the England international excel in a more advanced role behind the main striker in the second half against Blackburn Rovers in midweek, prompting the Aston Villa manager to suggest he could become one of the top players in Europe in that role.

Houllier said before that League Cup tie that, if Young “wants to keep his position (with England) and be extremely effective, maybe he has to play (at Villa) as a winger”. He started in that position but after the team toiled in the first half Houllier moved Young inside and was immediately rewarded when he set up Emile Heskey’s equaliser before scoring twice himself. “I like the way he played behind Emile,” said Houllier.

Asked whether he agreed with his predecessor, Martin O’Neill, that Young could hold his own with the best left-wingers in Europe, Houllier replied: “As a left-winger? No. He can play on the wing. Whether he can be one of the best in the world in that position . . . I think he can be one of the best in another position.”

The Frenchman said he has spoken to Young about the role he can fulfil. “I told him I thought he could be a leader, not only in terms of quality but in terms of effort. He can be a star but a star as a team player. And his input must not be only making goals and scoring goals. It’s his work rate and his attitude that can improve the rest of the team. He needs to have a regular top performance for a number of games.”

Villa make the short trip to Molineux tomorrow for Houllier’s first Premier League game in charge, where they will face a Wolves side who have a reputation for being overly physical. But Houllier said he had no concerns: “We’re not softies. We can handle that. A tackle is not going to frighten any player of Aston Villa.”