Ashley Young likened to Lionel Messi and Ronaldo by Aston Villa

Dec 13 2008 By Mat Kendrick, Birmingham Mail

Ashley Young celebrates his first goal to make it 1-2.

MARTIN O’Neill has cranked up Ashley Young’s superstar status by likening the Villa winger to world-class wonders Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Villa boss has been raving about Young since the former Watford attacker’s brilliant match-winning brace in the 3-2 victory at Everton last weekend.

And O’Neill believes Young will rightly claim his place alongside the game’s modern-day greats if he keeps progressing at the same rapid rate.

Asked if Young was on a pedestal with Barcelona star Messi and Manchester United favourite Ronaldo, O’Neill replied: “Yes, I’ve just put him on it.

“I’ve put him on it via my statement, not anything else. This is my opinion.

“I look at players. I see a lot of games in Europe, I watch a lot of football and you see a lot of functional players and then you have the players who are exceptional and Ashley Young is exceptional. I would pay to go and watch him.

“I think he is a world-class performer. It is an over-used phrase and I don’t use it too often, but he is an absolutely class player.”

O’Neill, who signed Young for a deal in the region of £9million almost two years ago, believes the 23-year-old has the potential to get even better.

“He has far from reached his peak,” he said.

“If you look at other top quality players, players 22-23, who are absolutely brilliant, people like Messi and Ronaldo.