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Manchester United have officially (and finally) signed Aston Villa and England winger Ashley Young on a 5 year deal reportedly worth £16 m. The Red Devils had to fend off interest from Liverpool to nab Young from the Villans after months of speculation. The 25 year old is said to have postponed his £200 K wedding to be officially unveiled by the Premier League Champions. The English International will reportedly earn a whopping £130 K a week at the club. He will now be battling with the likes of Nani, Antonio Valencia and Park Ji-Sung for a spot on the flanks for the most successful club in the Premier League era.

An official statement released by the club read: “Manchester United is delighted to announce it has reached agreement with Aston Villa for the transfer of Ashley Young. The player passed a medical in Manchester this week and has agreed a five-year contract.”

Excerpts from his first official interview to MUTV are also available on the club website. Young is reported to have said, "The opportunity to come and play for one of the biggest clubs in the world is one I couldn't turn down. It's a chance to... hopefully become part of the history by helping to win the 20th title. It's a prospect I always looked at from being a child: to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world."

Ashley Young began his footballing career with Watford earning his stripes by leading the club to the Premiership in 2006. His first season at the summit of English football began brilliantly as he scored some crucial goals for his team. In the January transfer window, Aston Villa won the race to sign the talented Englishmen and the deal was sealed for £8 million. Since his arrival at Villa Park, Young has been an integral part of the first team under both Martin O’Neill and Gerard Houllier. He won the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2008-09 and was named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2008 and 2009 as well.

Young will be a welcome acquisition at Old Trafford as Sir Alex tries to usurp Barcelona from their pedestal. The Englishman’s arrival may mark the end of Nani’s tenure at the Theatre of Dreams with reported interest from Spain and Italy for the Portuguese maverick. Young is also a part of the Youth Revolution that Fergie is planning to bring about by purchasing some of the most gifted youngsters around Europe. David De Gea is next on the list and Fergie has already brought in talented defender Phil Jones to OT. Reports suggest the Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri is also on the Old Trafford radar as Manchester United look to splash the cash to challenge Barcelona for supremacy in Europe.

Twitter continues to be a hotbed of transfer information with Michael Owen breaking the news about Young's medical yesterday on the social networking site, and Rio Ferdinand today welcoming the England international to  Old Trafford. Rio said, "another top, hungry and young player"

File Photograph Copyright: Jonesy702