Tom Cleverley: Breaking Down His Contribution This Season

When Paul Scholes retired before the end of the 2011/12 season, Sir Alex Ferguson identified Tom Cleverley as the ginger magician’s replacement.

Cleverley then impressed during the club’s preseason summer friendlies, but not enough to earn a starting position for United’s first competitive game of the campaign, against Manchester City in the Community Shield. 

United were 2-0 down at halftime when Ferguson brought Cleverley on for Michael Carrick, and his instant understanding with Nani, Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young and Anderson saw him spark a United comeback. 

Cleverley then started the first Premier League games of the season against West Bromwich Albion, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, and his youthful vigour began to permeate throughout his teammates, leading many to label Ferguson’s latest side as a new, rare and fresh attacking ensemble.

But in the third minute of United’s game against Bolton Wanderers in September, Kevin Davies launched into a heavy tackle that broke Cleverley’s foot and kept him out of action until February.

By the time he made his comeback, United had lost 6-1 to Manchester City, Paul Scholes had returned from his brief sabbatical and Ferguson was now deploying a more conservative and defensive style in order to amass enough points to compete with Mancini’s men.

Cleverley failed to break back into United’s team over the next few months, and fans began to worry that he would never rekindle his earlier form. But impressive displays at the 2012 Olympics for Team GB saw him regain confidence going into the 2012/13 campaign.

So, how has he done?

Over the course of the season, Cleverley has made 43 Premier League appearances, but his recent inconsistency has seen him dropped from United’s starting 11.

Last week, Cleverley’s tenure reached a new low when he played in an under-21 game.

Ferguson told Mark Ogden of the Telegraph that he thinks Cleverley is “a very good player,” but noted, ”He has had a quiet spell, though. In the two Chelsea games [in the FA Cup], he had poor games. But you wonder if maybe he needed a little break at that point. He will be involved on Sunday, without a doubt, and he will play again before the end of the season.”

Once again, Cleverley failed to make an impact against Chelsea, and the game simply passed him by up until he was replaced by Alexander Buttner halfway through the second half.

What’s gone wrong then? 

Cleverley has struggled to assert himself because of Shinji Kagawa’s development and Wayne Rooney’s shift into a deeper midfield role, but he still possesses several attributes that could see him flourish at Old Trafford.

He has now added goals to his repertoire too. Excellent finishes against Sunderland, West Ham United, as well as two efforts against Newcastle United, proved that he has the composure to gobble up chances when they’re presented to him.

Cleverley also has a fast and creative footballing brain, which allows him to bring an intense tempo to games because of his sharp and accurate passes in convoluted areas of the pitch, whilst his energy and vivacity, especially in the first half, is also unique amongst United’s central midfielders.

In the second leg of United’s Champions League encounter with Real Madrid, Cleverley also displayed a positional discipline that helped to stifle the Spaniard’s attacks up until Nani’s red card.

However, Cleverley’s fitness and strength has been criticised, and he tires badly in the second half of games, leading many to believe that his progress has stalled.

The 23-year-old is competent enough for the Premier League, but his attacking adroitness and footballing intellect still flounders in Europe too, which could see Ferguson delve into his pocket money to find a central midfielder who can launch United up to a higher echelon.

Cleverley’s current contract runs out in 2015, which leaves him time to once again claim a midfield berth at the club.

Whether Ferguson’s patience will remain in tact for that long, though, remains to be seen.