Everton's Tom Cleverley Claims Suggest Some Fears Remain at Manchester United

While Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal was more than willing to sell forward Danny Welbeck to rivals Arsenal, it seems he and the club were less keen to help out another of their rivals on transfer deadline day.

On Friday morning Everton manager Roberto Martinez suggested that United’s decision not to allow midfielder Tom Cleverley to join the Merseyside club on loan was due to concerns about helping a rival—that United did not want to aid one of the clubs fighting it out with them for the European qualification spots this season.

Cleverley instead joined Aston Villa (after a permanent deal had already fallen through), a club unlikely to be threatening United come the end of the campaign.

Speaking to reporters, Martinez said:

"

It’s the parent club that makes that decision. Maybe they just didn’t want to send a player on loan to a club that is going to be challenging for things and finished above them last season, I don’t know.

You can look at the table from last season and we finished fifth and they finished a bit lower, so from that respect you can understand. But, at the same time, Aston Villa have started the season really well and you look at the performances of Fabian Delph and the young players they have, plus they’ve got Christian Benteke coming back, and they are going to be a strong team.

But we can’t comment on that, it is down to Manchester United.

"

Martinez’s comments are intriguing, if hard to substantiate in any real way (short of Van Gaal brazenly admitting that thought process, which is highly unlikely to happen).

What we do know is that United were initially keen to sell Cleverley, with Villa lodging a bid in the region of £7.5 million. That deal fell apart over the player’s wages, however, and so a loan became the logical alternative. At that point, Everton made their interest known.

Perhaps United did snub Everton, or perhaps they felt it was more logical to pursue a deal with Villa after the lines of communication had already been opened. It would be interesting to know whether, had Everton made a cash offer to buy Cleverley, United would have made the same decision they ultimately did with Welbeck.

The suspicion is that they would, eroding the crux of Martinez’s argument somewhat. The Spaniard may act aggrieved, but perhaps someone should ask him why he was not interest in a permanent move in the first place?

It's possible that Everton hoped to get the player on loan for the season and then for nothing next summer (as they did with Gareth Barry), a tactic United perhaps saw coming.

Chris Brunskill/Getty Images

Nevertheless, the fact Van Gaal would not countenance a loan to Goodison Park—seemingly not even giving Cleverley the chance to make the choice himself—hints at a certain kernel of fear within United’s hierarchy.

Having totalled a summer net spend of £133 million, per Transfermarkt, bringing in talents of the ilk of Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao, you would presume United would be supremely confident in the squad they now have at their disposal.

Yet the fact they would not allow a player they clearly no longer want or need go to a club whose net spend was £100 million less suggests that they are still not sure all that buying was enough; that their purchases were in part inspired by panic and the club is not yet certain how they will pan out.

While they certainly won't want to unwittingly help a potential rival, even if Van Gaal is (publicly at least) sure of his signings.

“When you can hire or buy a player like Falcao then I don’t have doubts because he is, for me, one of the best strikers in the world,” Van Gaal said in a press conference on Thursday. “When you see his record it is unbelievable.

“At training he got one ball and it was in the goal. He confirmed it in his first training session with me.”

Having said that, it should be inferred that United have somehow tampered with Cleverley’s career. The loan club probably benefits from the deal far more than his parent club.

The temporary nature of his move to Villa means he is likely to get regular first-team football to demonstrate his undoubted talent (more than he would get at Everton, who have plenty of competition in midfield), something that will only increase the interest of potential suitors further down the line.

If he then rejects the chance to make the move permanent in January (which he almost certainly will), the midfielder will be a free agent in the summer—where he will likely be able to command a number of lucrative salary offers from clubs attracted to the idea of signing an England international without having to pay a transfer fee (as Cleverley is over 25, United will not receive any significant compensation for his loss).

Cleverley received criticism in some quarters for the collapse of his permanent transfer to Villa and then the delay in the loan deal being announced, amid claims about salary demands and other issues.

Those demands may have been true, but Cleverley is within his rights to make them—with only a year left on his deal, signing a contract now erases the chance to cash in on his free-agent status in 12 months' time.

Jon Super/Associated Press

That is an off-field consideration, however—and in truth his future earning potential will now be predominantly defined by the form he shows at Villa Park. Having looked so bereft of confidence in United colours during the draw with Sunderland last month, he now has 10 months to rediscover his rhythm and show the world exactly what he can offer.

“I am happy to get away from some of the negativity,” the 25-year-old said, per The Guardian this week. “If any footballer gets a bit of stick off their own fans they are going to be hurt.

“I’ve still got a league title and 13 England caps. You don’t turn into a bad player just because somebody says so on Twitter.”

Everton could well be one of the clubs interested in his services again next summer. If that is the case, United will be able to do little about it. Of course, if before then the Red Devils have finished above the Toffees in the Premier League table and secured Champions League qualification, they may be rather unperturbed.

But for now, Martinez’s assertions underline the heightened emotions at Old Trafford at the moment, that qualification for the Champions League this season—the club’s recent financial forecasts were based on a third-place finish—is so vital that no chances will be taken.

“It’s impossible for me to say what will happen in 10 months,” the Spaniard said, when asked if he would renew his interest in Cleverley. “We’ve got two or three young players at Everton who might come through and take their opportunity—Liam Walsh, Ryan Ledson, Kieran Dowell—and they would fit into the squad.

“I will always be interested in Tom in terms of the experiences I had with him [when both men were at Wigan]. I think Tom is going to be one of the best midfielders in the England camp but 10 months in football is an eternity. Anything could happen in that time.”