The Question: Could Cleverley Save Manchester United Millions?

The central midfielder search at Manchester United has become something of a summer soap opera. Two seasons ago it was the imminent arrival of Wesley Sneijder that kept newspapers in print and gave Sky Sports the opportunity to tell us all that they basically didn’t know anything. Last season we were unreliably informed that United were poised to capture Luka Modric, right up until the moment he joined Real Madrid. This summer, Cesc Fabregas has emerged as an unlikely target for United, although just how much of a target is anyone’s guess as the entire story seems to be based more on conjecture and the midfielder’s possible availability rather than anything coming from Old Trafford.
Kevin Strootman is another player who finds himself top of the Twitter trends, not just because it’s seemingly obvious United have been interested in the Dutchman for some time but also thanks to his agent’s recent statement about him wishing to play in the Premier League.
Should Moyes take a moment to re-consider his options he may come to the conclusion the answer to his midfield questions lies a lot closer to home. Yes, Man United fans want a central midfielder; yes it’s the one obvious position where the Reds Devils need strengthening but there is a certain England international who could save Moyes a trip to the bank.
Tom Cleverley was being lauded as the saviour of English football at the beginning of the season, thanks to a decent performance against Moldova such is the media’s desperation for something to shout about on the international stage. Roy Hodgson getting severely carried away with the 5-0 win over a poor side, in which Cleverley was impressive, inexplicably compared the United midfielder to Cesc Fabregas. It certainly didn’t take long for that particular halo to lose its lustre as Cleverley’s next performance in an England shirt against the Ukraine saw him subbed on the hour after a fairly anonymous display.
While Hodgson may have been getting ahead of himself with the Fabregas comparisons, there’s no reason why Moyes couldn’t utilise Cleverley in the Barcelona man’s stead should, as many of us expect he will stay at the Camp Nou this Summer. Part of the problem for United’s number 23 is he seems to be the ‘jack of all trades master of none’ impression many have of him as a central midfielder. Unlike Carrick, Cleverley doesn’t have the natural instinct to ‘put out fires before they start’ nor does he possess his team mates passing ability. Cleverley doesn’t tackle like Phil Jones does when playing in midfield, nor does he have a similar engine- and he can’t carry the ball past players like Anderson can- although thankfully his engine is a lot better than Anderson’s. All this may make Cleverley sound as though he’s nowhere near United class but up until February he was a regular starter in the side.
Part of the reason for Cleverley’s fall from favour seems to be his inability to last the full 90 minutes, as he seemed to tire quickly as the season wore on, perhaps to the point where Sir Alex Ferguson felt he could no longer rely upon him.