Ashley Young has revealed he requires a hip replacement, just months after announcing his retirement from professional football. The former Manchester United defender ended his 22-year playing career in April, having been told by a specialist that his hip had deteriorated significantly.
Injury struggles and retirement decision
The 41-year-old, who made 15 appearances for Ipswich Town during their promotion campaign last season, explained on the High Performance podcast that he had been managing the injury with injections. He said: "I went down on my hip in November and had an injection. I have always said to myself: 'If my body is saying you need injections, there is a problem, you need to think about retiring.' Basically I need a hip replacement, in November I was told I would need it in about 10 years time."
Young continued: "I got to January and was due to have another injection which would have got me through to the end of the season, as I was saying to the specialist 'I know it is painful, but I want to make sure I do everything I can possibly do to help the team.' About a week before I am about to have the injection, I go down on it in training and I am like 'this is worse, I know it is a lot worse'"
After a further assessment, he was told his hip had become 'much worse' and that he would need to have it replaced within two years. Having played 766 games across his career, Young accepted it was time to retire.
Tributes and career highlights
Announcing his retirement on Instagram, Young wrote: "From Sefton Road to Vicarage Road to Villa Park to Wembley to Old Trafford to San Siro back to Villa Park to Goodison Park and finally to Portman Road, it’s been some journey that I only dreamt of as a boy! But with this dream there has to be an ending and Saturday might be the last game of my professional career. To be continued…."
He received messages from former teammates and rivals, including ex-Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea, who wrote "What a career," and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, who said: "Congratulations on an amazing career." The official England account also commented: "Congratulations on a fantastic career!"
Manchester United legacy
Young earned 39 caps for England, scoring seven goals, and spent eight and a half years at Old Trafford, making 261 appearances, scoring 19 goals and providing 34 assists. A versatile player, he operated from the forward line to defence and captained the side during his spell.
He won the Premier League in Sir Alex Ferguson's final season, as well as the FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield. After leaving United, Young played for Aston Villa, Inter Milan and Everton before joining Ipswich Town on a free transfer in 2025. His son, Tyler, also signed for Ipswich last year, initially with the under-21s.
