England defender Luke Young broke into the Tottenham team in 1999-2000 in the centre of defence and played like he had been there for years. Having faced some of the most experienced forwards the Premier League has to offer, he has passed his introduction to the top division with flying colours.
Shrewd enough to know when to jump and when not to, he is good in the air and on the floor, his tackles are timed well, allowing him to win the ball cleanly and bring it out of the back. In his early 20's, it appeared that he could develop into the defensive player that the club have been looking for. H is brother, Neil, was on Tottenham's books , but didn't make it to the first team and played for Bournemouth.
Attended Mark Hall School in Old Harlow and signed as a Schoolboy for Spurs in September 1993 after playing for Harlow Schools, West Essex Schools and Essex County Schoolboys and progressed to be a Trainee with the club in July 1995. He moved through the youth and reserve ranks to break into the first team.
Developed a reputation as a versatile member of the squad, Luke played in defence or midfield this season and rarely let Spurs down. He reads the game pretty well and can use the ball out of defence, with his play being noted as he became a part of the England Under-21 set-up, but ended the 2000-2001 season by getting sent off for the national side in Greece.
Happiest playing right back, Luke could fill in on the other side of the back four, with a liking to push up the line. His performances over the coming seasons earned him England Under-21 caps, with his Spurs career seeing him be a regular at the end of the 2000-01 season to be part of the team that reached the FA Cup semi-final and help the club get away from the lower reaches of the Premier League.
During the summer of 2001, newspapers were linking Young with a move to Charlton Athletic, but Spurs were then keen to move to sign him up on a longer contract to deter other interested parties. Rumours that he did not fit into Hoddle's plans were found to be true, when he was sold to Charlton for £3 million in July 2001, possibly rising to £4 million depending on the South London club's survival in the Premier League.
Became a regular in the Charlton side as they managed to stay in the Premier League, even catching the eye of Sven Goran Eriksson to be called up by England, but he suffered injury and relegation with the Addicks at the end of 2006-07. This led to him signing for Middlesbrough in July 2007 to maintain his career in the Premier League. He was successful there under Steve McClaren, but when Gareth Southgate took over, Luke stayed a year, but was sold to raise cash in the summer of 2008, moving on to Aston Villa for £6 million.
In the 2011 summer transfer window, Young made a surprise move back to London joining newly promoted Queens Park Rangers for an undisclosed fee.