‘Just three words’ - Unai Emery has already explained why Everton should sign Ashley Young

Everton are closing in on a move for Ashley Young.

According to Sky Sports, the Toffees have held talks with signing the former England international on a free transfer - and he’s set for a medical today.

Young has recently turned 38 but is set to continue his playing career after bringing the curtain down on a second spell at Aston Villa. And with Sean Dyche still to add to his squad in the summer transfer window, the versatile Young is someone on Everton’s radar.

Certainly, the talk of Young seemingly arriving at Goodison Park has split opinions among fans. There are those of the verdict that signing someone in the twilight years of his career is folly. Everton have hit financial troubles for making mistakes in past window by signings players on significant contracts and who had little-to-no sell-on fee. Understandably, sections of supporters would rather see younger players who can be developed recruited or talents from the under-21s given opportunities.

However, experience is invaluable commodity. Dyche is only too aware that the Blues may be in another relegation scrap next season and he may desire nous and know-how.

That is something that Young would undoubtedly provide. He has 677 senior appearances to his name, having represented Watford, Villa, Manchester United and Inter Milan. His trophy cabinet boasts Premier League, Serie A, Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup winners’ medals along with 39 England caps.

With Conor Coady and Yerry Mina departing Everton, leaders in the Goodison Park are in shorter supply. But that’s a quality that Young could bring - as he displayed at Villa last season.

After Unai Emery succeeded Steven Gerrard as manager in October, Villa's results picked up markedly. They went from flirting with the bottom three to qualifying for the Europa Conference League. And speaking in May, Emery outlined exactly why Young was so pivotal for the Villa Park outfit - and was still in the physical shape to extend his career into the upcoming campaign.

Via Birmingham Live, Emery said: "Ashley Young is an example. I had players like this at Villarreal too. If you didn’t know his age you could think he is 28 because every day even as much as he is playing he is playing very well. Before usually you were seeing players of 32, 34 starting to finish their careers 20 years ago.

"At Villarreal we were signing players 35, 36, like Jose Luis Morales and we didn’t change our mind for his age. Now it is the same for Young. We are going to speak about him. Now is not the moment but, of course, he can extend his career longer than this year.

"He is very important in the dressing room. I am using him a lot of times when we are speaking together before matches about our experiences - my experiences and the players’ experiences.

“Ashley Young is very important because he had a very good career. He had a lot of experiences in Manchester United and Inter Milan. He played in European matches, key matches, under pressure. I want to use him with his experiences to tell us about how he felt in each moment.

“On Sunday, as well he will be important. Maybe he will say just three words or a short message he can give us. Usually before the matches I want the players as well to ask how they are feeling and how they are facing each match.”

Last season, Young made a total of 32 appearances for Villa. A total of 29 were in the Premier League - and 23 were starts.