Young joined
Sheffield United from
Guiseley in 2019, though moved on to
Forest Green Rovers in July 2020 without playing a first-team game for Sheffield United. He played over 50 games for Forest Green, helping the club to win the League Two title in the 2021–22 campaign, and was signed to Bradford City in May 2022. He spent the second half of the 2022–23 season on loan at
Barrow and was loaned out to
Swindon Town for the 2023–24 season, though was recalled to Bradford halfway through after scoring 16 goals in 25 League Two fixtures.
Young scored his first goal for Forest Green Rovers in an
EFL Trophy tie against
West Bromwich Albion U21s on 6 October 2020.[8] His first league goal came eleven days later, in a 2–0 win over
Stevenage at
The New Lawn, in which he was also named as
man of the match.[9] He scored eight goals in 33 appearances throughout the
2020–21 campaign.[8]Mark Cooper, sacked as manager shortly before the season's end, said that Young possessed "
Premier League ability", but needed to contribute more defensively.[10] Young scored four goals in 29 games in the
2021–22 season as Rovers were promoted as champions of
League Two under the management of
Rob Edwards.[11]
Bradford City
In May 2022, Young signed for
Bradford City for an undisclosed fee on a three-year deal.[12][13][14] He said that working with manager
Mark Hughes was the main attraction.[15] He scored on his debut for the club, an equalising goal in an eventual 3–2 loss away at
Barrow on 6 August 2022.[16][17] By 8 September, he had scored three goals in the past two games, but said that he aware that a first-team place was not guaranteed due to the size of the squad.[18] His goal against
Walsall was nominated for the League Two goal of the month for September.[19] However, by January 2023 he had not played in the League since mid-September, and had only made two EFL Trophy appearances since (both in October), with Hughes saying that there were players ahead of him in the squad.[20]
On 14 January 2023, Young joined League Two side Barrow on
loan for the remainder of the
2022–23 season.[21][22][23] At the time Barrow manager
Pete Wild described Young as a "top player",[24] with Wild later saying that Young was starting to impress him with his performances.[25]
Ahead of the 2023–24 season, Young was told that he could find a new club.[26] In July 2023, Hughes revealed that Young had rejected loan moves away from the club.[27] He missed the club's pre-season trip to Spain, and played with the youth team in a friendly against
Bradford (Park Avenue).[28] On 2 August, Young signed for League Two rivals
Swindon Town on loan for the 2023–24 season.[29][30][31] On 26 August, Young scored four goals against
Crawley Town in a 6–0 rout.[32] After three goals early in the season, he was described as an "instant hit" at Swindon,[33] and after scoring seven goals in four games, he was nominated for the League Two August 2023 Player of the Month award,[34] which Young won.[35][36] He also won the November Player of the Year award.[37] Young said he was playing the best football of his career at Swindon.[38]
In December 2023, new Bradford City manager
Graham Alexander suggested that he would recall Young, who was the league's top-scorer, from his loan in January 2024.[39] Young spoke about the difficulty in being frozen out by Hughes.[40] On 2 January 2024, he was recalled by his parent club.[41][42] Alexander said that Young would feature in his first-teams plans,[43] whilst Swindon manager
Michael Flynn was praised for "reviving" Young's career.[44] Young attracted attention from
League One clubs in the January transfer window,[45][46] although a preliminary bid from one club was rejected for being too low,[47] whilst former club Swindon were "priced out" of bidding for the player.[48] Alexander said that Young would be considered for first-team action when he returned from a slight injury which had seen him miss two matches.[49] A second bid for Young was also rejected,[50] with Carlisle United describing the asking price as "ridiculous".[51] Carlisle manager
Paul Simpson later apologised for his comments.[52] A third bid was also rejected,[53] whilst Derby County and Charlton Athletic were said to be interested.[54]
Young returned to training in January 2024,[55] whilst Alexander defended himself against criticism from fans about Young.[56] Young returned to bradford's first-team on 27 January 2024, appearing as a substitute in a 2–0 defeat away at former club Swindon.[57] His return was heralded by teammate
Alex Gilliead,[58] and assistant manager
Chris Lucketti.[59] He then suffered an injury in a match,[60] later undergoing hamstring surgery.[61] He was later ruled out for the rest of the season.[62]
He returned to fitness in May 2024, after the end of the season,[63] and had an "intensive" two weeks at
St George's Park in June 2024 ahead of the new 2024–25 season.[64]
Style of play
Young is a
forward with great pace and finishing ability.[10]
Personal life
Young played
tennis as a youth, playing in national tournaments, but gave up the sport to pursue a football career.[65]
Career statistics
As of match played 13 February 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition