Ashley Young is calling for a perfect 10 finish from Manchester United to bury bitter rivals City in the title race.
The Premier League crown was sensationally snatched from United’s grasp on goal difference in the last minute on the last day of last season as Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City ended 44 years of hurt.
Now, with United going FIFTEEN points clear yesterday, Young admits they won’t be satisfied unless they win it back by a mile.
The minimum he wants, as United chase a domestic and Champions League treble to match 1999, is the margin to be as huge as it stands today – but he’d be happier if it was 20 points or more.
Rubbing City’s nose in it? It might look that way – except Young isn’t worried about what’s going on across the fields that separate United’s Carrington training complex and their rivals a mile or so away.
The 27-year-old England star – easing his way back into the squad after a knee injury – said: “We have worked hard to build a gap over City and the rest of the teams at the top and we aren’t going to throw that away by taking our eye off the ball.
“It’s taken a lot of effort and concentration to get into this position and now our mentality is to think about the next game ahead – nothing else.
“We want 10 wins from our last 10 league games – that’s all we are thinking about. We are just focusing on producing the form we have shown over the last few weeks.
“To be honest, no one is thinking about the gap we have or the points we’ve already got compared to City.
“It’s just game by game now, going out to win and chalking them off – the manager wouldn’t allow anyone to approach it any differently. I’m not thinking about how far ahead we are or what games City have coming up.
“I don’t know what their players are thinking because that doesn’t interest me.
“All that matters is making sure we do our jobs so we get to a point where we can’t be caught. Until then there is nothing else to concentrate on.”
With a repeat of that ’99 treble still on, you’d think United’s dressing room would be buzzing with talk of what if.
But Young added: “We just get on with it. There is never any talk of doubles or trebles – it just never gets discussed. We will tick the games off one by one and see where it takes us.”
He says the driving force behind United’s single-minded pursuit of the title was boss Sir Alex Ferguson’s team talk after they lost it on the last day of last season.
The prospect of winning his first big trophy with United was tantalisingly close a year ago – and the disappointment took a while to overcome. He said: “Losing on goal difference was hard to take. I recall the manager telling us to remember that day. Remember the hurt and disappointment, and his words have stuck in our heads.
“That was the biggest setback I’ve experienced in my career and I never want that feeling again. That’s why we have gone about our business in such a determined, methodical way.
“And because of last season no one is thinking too far ahead. Whatever people outside the club say, it won’t be over till it’s over. That’s why players like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand are so important, talking to the younger lads in the squad and those like me who haven’t won a title yet.
“Their experience really helps at times like this – listening to guys who have been there and done it many times is invaluable.
“There is a fantastic spirit among the lads to put things right and we are confident we can win each game.
“While everyone wants to play, the rotation of the squad by the manager is something that’s worked for him and the club for a long time and we accept that is the way he does it.”
Young shoots my question down when I ask which medal he’d prefer to take home this season – “I want to win them all,” he declared.
A United treble would be miraculous given the tribal ferocity of the Premier League, but Young vividly recalls 1999.
He said: “I was only 13 but I can still remember what an unbelievable achievement it was. Any chance of emulating that would be the stuff of dreams.”
Ashley Young appears in EA SPORTS FIFA 13 Ultimate Team.
Build your squad, acquire new players and compete with your Ultimate Team. Buy Ultimate Team points NOW at GAME.co.uk