Ashley Young
Manchester United's Young shoots past Fulham's Schwarzer during their English Premier League match in Manchester.REUTERS

Manchester United player Ashley Young, who has been dogged by diving controversies off late, exposed his softer side on Saturday by helping an eight-year-old boy who was knocked down by a car.

The incident happened ahead of Manchester United's match against Tottenham Hotspur near Old Trafford ground on Saturday.

It is reported that a Range Rover knocked down the youngster as he was crossing the road. The 27-year-old Manchester United winger, who has been out of action due to injury, ended up helping the boy and his father till the medics arrived in spite of his team's crucial match against Tottenham.

 "We were on our way to the game when we heard a sickening thud. When we turned round we could see this young lad on the floor screaming and shouting. As we got closer I saw that Ashley Young had stopped to help the boy. There was blood on the back of the lad's head and he was crying as his dad held him in his arms. Ashley was on his phone and seemed to be very concerned. The lad seemed more shook up than anything - but then he seemed to get worse," The Sun quoted Michael Robinson (23), an onlooker, as saying.

"Ashley wasn't bothered about kick-off. He waited with the young lad and his dad. It was good to see him behaving just like any other member of the public," he added.

Manchester United lost the match to Tottenham on Saturday but Young must be glad that he had helped somebody in need.