Unacceptable: Young talked candidly about his experiences

'It was obviously disappointing to hear abuse at such a young age. You don't expect to hear it at any age, but when you're a youngster it's even worse. You just don't expect it. When it happened I turned around, got on with the game and managed to score two goals. It shouldn't be happening in football, especially nowadays, and I hope that UEFA are going to clamp down on it.'

In Bulgaria, sustained racist abuse was directed at Young, Chelsea defender Ashley Cole and Arsenal winger Theo Walcott. Bulgaria's coach, the former German captain Lothar Matthaus, apologised to the England players, and Europe's football chiefs stopped short of ordering Bulgaria to play behind closed doors, opting for a fine instead.

While the opening week of the European Championship has been overshadowed by claims that players will walk off the pitch if they are racially abused, Young takes the view that ignoring the abuse during the game and insisting that the authorities deal with it afterwards is the best way forward.

'It didn't affect me [against Bulgaria],' he said. 'I can't speak for the other players. I had to block it out in that game and get on with it. The FA and UEFA dealt with it afterwards.

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