Young: Spirit can inspire results

Young: Spirit can inspire results 

Ashley Young has hailed Manchester United’s unbreakable team spirit and believes it can go a long way to leading the Reds to silverware and a top-four finish this season.

Young came off the bench at Preston North End on Monday night to help Louis van Gaal’s men come from behind to beat a dogged Lilywhites side who had taken a 47th-minute lead and threatened to pull off the latest shock in this season’s topsy-turvy FA Cup.

The 29-year-old set up Ander Herrera to level proceedings on 65 minutes, before Marouane Fellaini and Wayne Rooney confirmed United’s spot in the quarter-finals of the competition where Arsenal lie in wait at Old Trafford. Young praised the Reds’ determination and attitude after the win at Deepdale, insisting it’s a trait that could take United far this term, as it has done so many times in the past.

“The club has always had great spirit – I’ve seen that since I’ve been here. All the boys in the dressing room are fighting for each other and when you have that off the pitch you take it on to the pitch,” he told ManUtd.com. “It’s one of the qualities we have as a team. It’s a team sport and we always go out and play as a team. We showed that on Monday night from the first minute to the last and in the way we came back into the game and won it.

“The manager told me to go out there, get on the ball, get crosses into the box and stay wide," he added. "We wanted to get ourselves back in it as quickly as possible. It was a great team effort – every man throughout the team was fantastic. When you have that team spirit in a game it can help take you through to the next round and that’s what it’s done.”