Ashley Young Returns to Villa Park for Champions League Clash
Aston Villa fans watching the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain on April 15, 2025, will see a familiar face on their screens as Ashley Young returns to Villa Park as part of the Amazon Prime television coverage. This latest appearance comes just six months after he was last seen in B6 for the 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, also covered by TNT Sports.
Young, who has made 31 appearances this season for Everton, is in the twilight of his playing career. His current contract is set to expire shortly after he turns 40 on July 9, 2025. Despite nearing the end of his playing days, Young is already embarking on a broadcasting career, sharing the commentary duties with Wayne Rooney for the high-stakes match against PSG.
In a remarkable twist of fate, Young's teenage son, Tyler, has recently broken into the first team at Peterborough United, marking the beginning of his professional journey. Tyler joined the Arsenal academy at the tender age of seven, and after stints at Milton Keynes Dons and Queens Park Rangers, he signed with Peterborough last summer following a successful trial during pre-season.
Tyler made his debut during the EFL Trophy group stages, facing Stevenage, the town of his birth. He has also been named on the bench four times but has yet to make another appearance. Earlier in the year, during the FA Cup third-round tie against Everton, Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson faced criticism for not bringing Tyler on, which drew attention to the fact that a father and son have never played against each other in the competition's 154-year history.
Ferguson explained his decision, stating, "It was very difficult to leave Tyler on the bench, but I've got to do what I think is best for the team. As much as I wanted Tyler to get on, if the game had been 2-0 at that point, I would've put him on, but at 1-0, I had to get a forward on. I've got to try and get something out of the game and do what is best for my team." He also mentioned an unpleasant encounter with an Everton player, saying, "One of their [Everton] players had a pop at me, which was bang out of order. We are not a charity case."
Meanwhile, Young's younger brother, Lewis, has taken on the role of caretaker manager for Dagenham & Redbridge, recently signing a two-and-a-half-year contract to continue his managerial career. Another sibling, Kyle Young, who was previously in the Arsenal academy, now plays in the Hitchin Sunday Football League for Squirrel Taverners.
On the personal front, not much is known about Ashley Young's wife, Nicky Pike. The couple started dating in school and initially planned to marry in 2011, the year Young left Villa to join Manchester United. However, they canceled their plans for a reported £200,000 wedding at The Grove Hotel in Watford just two days before the event. After a brief separation, they reconciled and eventually wed in a low-key ceremony at Stoke Place Hotel in Buckinghamshire in 2015, with Tyler being 10 years old at the time. They also have a younger daughter, Ellearana.
Ashley Young and Lewis Hamilton share a unique connection, having attended the same school, Saint John Henry Newman. They were in the same year group and played together on the school football team. Young has humorously recounted that Hamilton once claimed to be the better footballer, saying, "He (Hamilton) said he was a better footballer than me, but I think he's better at his driving." When asked about Hamilton's football skills, Young added, "No, he weren’t too bad. He was an alright player."
As the Champions League quarter-final approaches, fans are eager to see how Young's presence will influence the match. Aston Villa faces off against Paris Saint-Germain on April 15, and viewers can catch the action live on Amazon Prime Video, either through a subscription or by signing up for a 30-day free trial. With more Champions League and Europa League games available on TNT Sports via the Discovery+ Premium Prime Video channel, this clash promises to be a memorable one.
