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          Ashley Young leaves Manchester United for Inter Milan

          • ESPN
          Jan 17, 2020, 02:25 PM ET

          Ashley Young has completed a transfer from Manchester United to Serie A side Inter Milan, the clubs announced on Friday.

          The 34-year-old defender's new deal lasts through the end of June with an option to extend for a further season. Sources told ESPN that United accepted a bid in the region of €1.5 million for Young, who joined from Aston Villa in 2011.

          In a series of tweets, Young thanked United fans, saying: "You gave me the chance to play with legends, to win trophies, to work under the greatest manager in history and to be your captain. Thank you for letting me be part of your story for eight and a half years.

          "Every time I walked on the pitch wearing your shirt I gave you my all. Thank you for your support during the highs and the lows. I leave as one of you, see you again in an away end soon."

          Young, who in recent years has predominantly played at left-back but can also play on the wing, joins former United teammates Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez at the San Siro.

          United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hoped to keep Young, who was appointed club captain in the summer after the departure of Antonio Valencia, until at least the end of the season.

          The England defender rejected the offer of a new contract to extend his stay at Old Trafford, however, instead informing club chiefs of his desire to head to Inter.

          With Young's departure, Solskjaer confirmed on Friday that Harry Maguire would be the new team captain. The Norweigan boss insisted there were no hard feelings with Young's exit.

          "To be fair, I think it was for Ashley, he's 35 in the summer and if he gets a two-year contract somewhere I think it's up to him to take that," Solskjaer said. "We weren't ready to offer that. He's been a good servant, captain, won trophies, cups, but we've got players coming through."

          Young made 261 appearances for United but was left out of the last three matchday squads amid the uncertainty around his future.

          In his eight-and-a-half-year spell at United, he won the Premier League, FA Cup, Europa League and League Cup.