Ashley Young, Asmir Begovic and Joao Virginia will all leave the Blues at the end of the season
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Young will not extend his stay at Everton (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Everton trio Ashley Young, Joao Virginia and Asmir Begovic will all be leaving the Blues when their contracts expire at the end of next month. Young, who turns 40 on July 9, is Everton’s oldest-ever outfield player, having joined in July 2023, and the club say his experience, leadership and versatility haven proven invaluable over the past two seasons.
Ahead of Sunday’s last-ever Premier League match at Goodison Park, the former England international has made 68 appearances for Everton across several positions, scoring goals against Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Virginia signed for Everton from Arsenal in August 2018 and the 25-year-old has since made a total of eight first team appearances, including one this season in the Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out defeat to Southampton at Goodison Park. Begovic, 37, capped 63 times for Bosnia and Herzegovina, returned to Everton last summer, having previously spent two years with the Blues between 2021-2023 and although he hasn’t featured on the pitch this term, he made 10 appearances in his first spell and the club say that both goalkeepers have provided important competition and support for Jordan Pickford during their time at Goodison Park.
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Speaking on the three players, manager David Moyes said: “Since my return to the club, I’ve seen what a great professional Ash is and know the leadership qualities he has brought to the squad during his time at Everton. His versatility, experience and know-how have also been really beneficial to the team and me.
“Asmir and Joao have also worked really hard and conducted themselves impeccably. On behalf of everyone at the club, I want to thank all three players for their service and we wish them all the very best for the future.”
The Everton boss added: “This is a complicated situation in many respects, with so many players out of contract this summer. It’s important to me to speak with all of those players, individually, to give them clarity on their situations.
“Lots of factors influence our decision-making and we’re currently working through that process with the players, which takes time. Some will have clarity by the end of this week, and for others it may get to next week, but it’s important it’s handled in the right way.
“We also have five players on loan and we’ll let them know their situations in due course.”