How Manchester United’s Tom Cleverley is proving his critics wrong

Tom Cleverley

Few players can evoke such polarising opinions as a certain diminutive midfielder currently marshalling/ruining Manchester United’s midfield- depending on your opinion. Tom Cleverley was being hailed as the English Andres Iniesta only 12 months ago, yet since then has enjoyed something of a fall from grace which has made even his place in the United side open to question.

Over the past few weeks, with Michael Carrick injured, Marouane Fellaini either injured or struggling to fill the role David Moyes wants him to and Anderson struggling to make any impact on the first team, Cleverley has become a vital part of the side. Cleverley has played nine of the last ten games, six of which have ended in victory. Moyes, obviously impressed with Cleverley’s performances has claimed the midfielder deserves to go to Brazil as part of Roy Hodgson’s England squad.

When speaking about the Bradford-born academy graduate, Moyes commented:

“I think he is the sort of player Roy Hodgson would like to take with him,” he said. “He will need players who can get around people, who are willing to do two or three different jobs, and I’m sure Tom would really like to be part of that.

“We certainly like him a lot. He’s great at the training ground and, for a young lad, he’s quite experienced now.

“Sometimes people may have looked at what he can’t do rather than what he can do. He works really hard for the team, he doesn’t give the ball away too often, the only thing we keep telling him about is that he needs to score more goals. He’s been playing quite deep and we are trying to get him a bit further up the pitch now, try and get him into the box more often. He’s got the energy and the drive.”

There may be one or two England fans- or even United ones for that matter- that think Cleverley lacks the necessary talents to be anything more than a passenger in a world cup finals tournament, but they’d be wrong. In the last three league games for United Cleverley has a pass rate that would make even Carrick drool with envy. Possibly.

One criticism, rightly levelled at Cleverley is that he doesn’t get enough goals and while a solitary strike at Villa Park is hardly likely to silence his detractors, you can’t argue with his accuracy over the last three games.

Cleverley hasn’t hit a shot off target in his last three games for Man United

One swallow does not make a summer, nor does three good games against struggling opposition make a world cup player, but the improvement in Cleverley’s game- and his worth to the United side- cannot be denied.

The recent game against Hull highlighted the energy Cleverley brings to the Reds, if he could do the same for England, then maybe his place on the plane to Brazil wouldn’t be a wasted one.