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Villa youngster Bannan: Leadership of Man Utd winger Young great for me

Aston Villa midfielder Barry Bannan says Manchester United signing Ashley Young was an inspiration for him last season.

Bannan can't wait to show his new manager Alex McLeish that Manchester United winger Young was right to have faith.

Bannan told the People: "When I was getting frustrated and not playing, Ash sang my praises highly and just told me to keep going, because it happened to him when he was young at Watford.

"He got released and he had to go in and just train for nothing, and he was saying to me, 'I've been a lot lower than you, your time will come'.

"Ash had a knockback - and it was probably a bigger one than I had - and look where he is now.

"There were a couple of setbacks for me last season, but you'll get that in football and I'm just trying to look positively at this season. Hopefully I'll be a main fixture in the team.

"It was starting to get frustrating for me last season and that's why I went out on loan.

"It had started off really well for me, I'd had 12 starts or something, so looking back it was a good season all in all, but I would have liked to have finished it stronger than I did because I had to go on loan.

"But it's a new season so all that is put to the back of my head now and I'm just looking forward and concentrating on trying to impress."

 It's the home stretch! 24/7 click for the best coverage of Aston Villa's final transfer market moves

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