Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley proves his critics wrong

Tom Cleverley

Villa Park is never an easy place to go, which made the fixture with Aston Villa far from ideal for Manchester United, given they are struggling in the league, winning none of their last four games. But United ran out 3-0 winners in the end, with the goals coming from two unlikely sources.

Danny Welbeck, not noted for his goalscoring despite being a striker, grabbed a quick brace early in the first-half, while Tom Cleverley wrapped things up less than ten minutes into the second. The latter actually turned out to be Squawka’s Man of the Match, earning a Performance Score of 78 points.

Cleverley is one of the United players to have come in for a bit of criticism amidst United’s struggles. With David Moyes recently outlining that he is prepared to sell a few players for the right price, the 24-year-old is playing for his future, and he did it no harm at all with a decent performance here.

He is noted for being reliable in possession, but not forward-thinking. This was no different in this game. He completed 94% of his passes, but as per usual, he kept his passes short and directed them towards the flanks, feeding Antonio Valencia and Adnan Januzaj on either side of him. But his movement and work rate off the ball is what proved decisive.

After playing his passes, he motored forward to support the ensuing attack. That’s how he got his goal. He had intercepted Antonio Luna’s pass and then gave the ball to Wayne Rooney before sprinting forward. Rooney then played the ball to him in the penalty area and he slotted it into the corner. That forward movement is something Cleverley should be known for given his energy, but he doesn’t get forward nearly enough. It’s something he needs to incorporate a lot more into his game.

That, combined with his commendable defensive efforts, would see him be of good value in midfield. On this day, he made two successful tackles and three interceptions, showing his battling qualities.

It was a game in which he showed what he is capable of. He may not be the playmaker that United’s midfield has long been crying out for, a fact further evidenced by the nature of his passing in this game, but he has other qualities that would make him invaluable to Moyes and United. It’s time he started showing those qualities on a more consistent basis. His performance against Villa is a fine platform on which he can build.