Charlton Athletic sealed transfer gold with Spurs deal - He's an Addicks hero | OneFootball

Luke Young would make more appearances for Charlton than for any other club, and it was at The Valley where he would make his England debut

In the early 2000s, Charlton Athletic were one of the mainstays in the Premier League, finishing as high as seventh in the 2003/04 season.

Their starting right back throughout that time was a former seven-time England international, Luke Young, who not only made his breakthrough in the Three Lions’ senior squad whilst he was playing at The Valley, but also made more appearances there than he did in the rest of his career.

Young enjoyed a truly incredible career where he played consistent top-flight football for 14 straight years, amassing 378 Premier League appearances and only playing one league game outside the division - his final game for QPR in April 2014.

Many clubs will remember him fondly, but it’s at Charlton Athletic where he is known best.

Luke Young’s £3 million Charlton switch from Tottenham Hotspur

Luke Young started his career in the Tottenham Hotspur academy, making his first-team debut in November 1998.

That season, 19-year-old Young made 22 appearances in all competitions, started in the League Cup quarter-final victory over Manchester United (which Spurs went on to win) and played all 120 minutes of their FA Cup semi-final defeat against Newcastle United.

Young would spend another couple of seasons at White Hart Lane, playing at least 20 times in the league in both seasons, before he made the switch to the Valley in a move worth £3 million, a week after his 22nd birthday.

Charlton had just finished ninth in their first season back in the Premier League and were looking to make a splash in that summer’s transfer market to retain their top-flight status, and in doing so, landed a right-back who would become a cult hero at the club.

Young would spend six seasons playing for the Addicks, amassing over 200 appearances during that time. Immediately, he was the first-choice right back, and his starts per season jumped from the high teens whilst at Tottenham to the early 30s at the Valley, starting in 34 of the 38 Premier League games in his first campaign at the club.

Charlton's best season during that run saw Young suffer his first real injury setback, as he appeared in just 24 league games throughout the 2003/04 season. The Addicks actually went on a solid run with him out of the side, and found themselves in the top four in January when the full-back returned after missing nearly three months. Ultimately, Charlton dropped off and finished seventh, seven points behind Liverpool, who finished in fourth place.

Young's most productive season came in the 2004/05 campaign, when he started 36 of the 38 Premier League games and helped his side to an 11th-placed finish. That term also saw him net his first goals for the Addicks, as he started the season with two in the opening six games.

It was in May 2005, at the culmination of that campaign, that, following an injury to Gary Neville, he was called up to the England senior squad for the first time. He made his first two England appearances from the bench in friendly wins against the USA and Colombia.

Unfortunately, an ankle injury stopped him from making it to the 2006 World Cup, and he was unable to keep Charlton up the following season. That campaign also saw him miss some time through injury, but the Addicks went on a six-game unbeaten run, which lifted them out of the bottom three upon his return. No wins in the five following that saw their seven-year stay in the top flight end.

At 28 years old, he saw his future outside the Championship and departed the club in July 2007.

Luke Young could have stayed at Charlton if not for their Premier League relegation

Then-Charlton manager Alan Pardew said that Luke Young left the Addicks with his full blessing, appreciating that he wanted to continue his Premier League career, and that sentiment was echoed across the Charlton fanbase as he was clearly good enough to continue in the top flight.

Young would join Middlesbrough for £2.5 million, but his time on Teesside only lasted a season before he made the switch to Aston Villa, who were in the midst of a series of top-six finishes and European campaigns between 2005-2008.

His first season at Villa Park saw him play seven times in the UEFA Cup as Aston Villa made it to the Round-Of-32 stage. Young even captained the side in their 2-0 defeat to CSKA Moscow, which ultimately knocked them out of the competition.

He spent two more seasons at Aston Villa before signing for QPR following their promotion to the Premier League.

It was clear that Young was driven by the dream of playing in the Premier League, and he retired having made 378 appearances in the English top flight. Perhaps if Charlton had stayed in the division in the 2006/07 campaign, Young would have remained an Addick.

Nevertheless, his time at the Valley is fondly remembered, and he’ll go down in history as a hero at Charlton Athletic.