http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3-MY1zVV10
We have really only glimpsed the quality of Manchester United’s Tom Cleverley as injuries have deprived the club of the starlet for the vast majority of the season. Perhaps the tremendous hype surrounding the player speaks more of a general concern about the state of Manchester United’s midfield, but most will agree that there is something special about this lad.
He seems to possess exactly what Manchester United need in midfield in the long term. Great movement and athleticism, the ability to keep the ball and keep the game flowing. In short, a naturally attacking midfielder in the Paul Scholes mould. Cleverley keeps it simple with one and two touch football, but is also capable of the more difficult and skilled tasks – pinpoint long passes, the ability to beat a man and speed of thought and foot. Like The Ginger Prince, he plays with his head up and sees the picture before it has developed. He appears to have natural ability in abundance, twinned with a football brain – the most lethal and rare of combinations, but one which surely marks Cleverley out as a potential Manchester United and England regular.
Despite Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes rolling back the years for Manchester United at the weekend, with dominant displays, Sir Alex Ferguson knows that he can’t rely on these two legends for much longer and, consequently, the return to action of young Cleverley cannot come quickly enough for the staff or the fans. He needs game time now, but has every chance of becoming pivotal to the success of Manchester United in the next few years.
Old Trafford will be hoping that they can keep this lad off the injury list for a much longer spell this time.
