Truth behind infamous Ashley Young bird poo clip and Man Utd legend's video claims

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Sport

Cameron Winstanley

18:14, 16 Aug 2026

Despite playing 261 times across nine years and captaining Manchester United, one of the top searches that come up when you put Ashley Young's name into Google is bird poo.

On this day in 2014, United opened their Premier League season against Swansea City at Old Trafford. The Red Devils lost 2-1 in Louis van Gaals first match in charge, but the game isnt remembered for the score, instead for the moment TV cameras caught a white glob drop out of the sky and land in Youngs mouth.

While Young passionately shouted at his United team-mates, the white glob fell in the exact place and time when the former Aston Villa midfielder and 39-time England international was speaking.

[Ashley Young]

Ashley Young attempted to explain the infamous bird poo incident

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The clip has been shared around social media for almost 12 years now and has generated millions of views across multiple platforms. Even Young admitted he has seen the video about 100 times.

However, despite the incriminating evidence, Young still repeatedly and emphatically denies that a bird dropped one in his mouth. No, it didnt happen!" Young adamantly denied on United's official club podcast back in 2019.

"Ive said this for god knows how long but it got to a point where I was like I need to do an interview to say it didnt happen but I just couldnt be bothered.

[Ashley Young]

A bird appeared to poo in Young's mouth

[Ashley Young]

Young was left with a suspicious white glob in his mouth

It had gone viral and is still going viral I think now and even my wife and kids turn round and say, Yeah but the bird pooed in your mouth. No it didnt.

It actually didnt. And I said at the time, Im sure the game was on TV, someone must have stopped it, recorded it, done whatever they did and put it together because it never actually happened. I think someone edited it because I know it never happened."

The best effort to try and debunk bird poogate gate came after an MUTV director extensively reviewed the footage and attempted to back up the then-United star by claiming a player off camera gobbed and the spit travelled over Youngs shoulder.

While at the same time, the former United skipper gathered up a sample of his own saliva in his own mouth during a passionate plea to his United peers as he evidently ordered them to up their game. The camera angle and timing of the two separate incidents make it seem as though a white substance from the sky planted itself perfectly in the winger's open mouth.

[Ashley Young]

The 41-year-old retired this summer

Im actually relieved that Ive got the evidence," Young added. "I think you can tell its not real because I think you can tell, if a bird s*** in my mouth, youre going to have a reaction.

"Why is it that its just gone, or carry on filming me? There you go. It is what it is, its like, fair enough. I know what happened.

Yeah, sure.

Despite his staunch defence, Youngs United team-mates continued to tease him about the incident. Luke Shaw revealed to Match of the Day magazine that the rest of the Red Devils toyed with Young by planting a fake bird above his changing room peg.

Ashley Young is the joker in the dressing room," Shaw admitted. "We still laugh about the time he got bird poo in his mouth against Swansea.

[0_Man-Utd-star-Jesse-Lingard-brutally-trolls-Ashley-Young-over-bird-poo-incident-1557102]

Man Utd star Jesse Lingard had this Instagram post go up after the match against Leicester (Image: INSTAGRAM )

"If you ask him now, he'll say it wasn't bird poo. In the changing room we hung a fake bird above his place as a joke which he didn't like."

Even in 2019, Jesse Lingard poked fun at Young after Uniteds 1-0 win over Leicester. During the game, a pigeon had landed and infiltrated the pitch.

The perfect snap appeared with Lingard in the background of the pigeon, and the joker had the perfect ammunition to restart the digs. Absolute Animal Out There Today. Glad @youngy_18 Stayed Away, Lingard wrote as a caption.

Twelve years on, Young only retired this summer after finishing his career with Ipswich Town following spells at Inter Milan, Aston Villa and Everton.

But at just 41, Young revealed he needs a hip replacement just weeks after calling time on his illustrious career. We wish Young the best and suggest he might well add to those 100-odd views of the bird poo video while doomscrolling during his recovery.

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