Luke Young is worried Aston Villa could lose some of their biggest names this summer in the wake of a disappointing campaign.
The 31-year-old Villa defender believes Ashley Young and Stewart Downing will be prime targets for other Premier League clubs after the pair impressed in an otherwise difficult season at Villa Park.
Manchester United are believed to be chasing the signature of winger Young, while Liverpool have been linked with a swoop for Downing.
And the former Middlesbrough full-back believes Downing has been Villa’s star performer this term and is desperate for his colleague stay on at Villa Park.
“Stewart has been brilliant,” said Young. “I played with him at Middlesbrough so I knew the potential that he’s got. I feel he would have done a bit more if he had got out a couple of years earlier.
“Now he is showing the form and you’ve got bigger clubs sniffing at him and it is obviously going to be difficult for us to keep him.
“We haven’t had a great season so I think some of the bigger clubs are having a look at him, and rightly so with the form he has shown. He is one that we hope stays because he is a big player for us.”
And the defender admits it will be difficult to hold on to both players. “The bigger clubs are circling for Ashley as well so it is going to be a difficult summer for us and hopefully we can keep hold of both of them,” said Young. “But we certainly wouldn’t want to lose both of them.”