PLAYER PROFILE

Luke Young, L

Position: Defence

Height: 5'11

Weight: 11st 10lbs

Date of Birth: 1979-07-19 Harlow, England

Luke Young, L

After joining Tottenham Hotspur as a trainee in 1995, Luke Young managed to break into the first team in November 1998 and was initially seen by fans as a perfect replacement for Sol Campbell after he defected to Arsenal. However, in 2001 he too moved on, joining Charlton Athletic.

He enjoyed a good 2001/02 season with Alan Curbishley's side as the Addicks fought their way out of an initial worrying spell in the lower reaches of the Barclaycard Premiership. The 2003/04 campaign saw Young make 25 appearances, despite him missing almost three months of the season because of injury.

He was rewarded with a new contract and this was justified by his performances in the 2004/05 season. He made 41 appearances for the Addicks and scored his first two goals - against Aston Villa and Birmingham.

His reward for a good season came at the end of the season where he made his international debut for Sven Goran Eriksson's England team. He made two substitute appearances in England's short two-game tour of America.

Although he could not make a return to Sven's England plans he did have another successful season on the domestic front, scoring once in thirty eight games. However, after the Addicks were relegated in 2006/07 he left the club, joining Middlesbrough for £2.5m in July 2007.

His first season at Boro was a successful one as he worked his way into the first eleven, but he moved on in the summer of 2008, joining Aston Villa. He quickly became a first team regular at Villa Park and scored his first goal for the club in a 3-2 Premier League victory over Blackburn in October 2008.