Capello praises Ashley Young

England manager Fabio Capello has hailed Ashley Young for his performances since making the move to Manchester United.

The Red Devils’ winger has had a positive start to his career at Old Trafford, already scoring twice in the Premier League while assisting in the creation of four more.

And on the international stage, the 26-year-old scored the only goal of the game against Wales to put the Three Lions on the verge of qualifying for Euro 2012.

It comes as a contrasting set of fortunes for the former Aston Villa man, who was present in the initial 30-man squad for the 2010 World Cup, but did not make the cut into the final 23 who travelled to South Africa for the tournament.

“What’s changed with Ashley Young (since not going to the World Cup) is that now he is playing with a really important team,” Capello told The Sunday Mirror.

“And he has improved a lot. Because the confidence, when you play in a really important team, improves a great deal.”

“This is because of the quality of the players he is playing with.”

“He can play as a second forward, behind Rooney.”

“He played left-wing for a long time. He is technically good, fast, and has a good imagination. And he scores goals – he can shoot with his left and right.”