Manchester United News: Tom Cleverley Injury Will Test Red Devils Midfield Depth

Manchester United have been fortunate to avoid adversity in the early going of the 2011-12 season, though their luck will be put to the test in the absence of Tom Cleverley.

The 22-year-old England international is expected to miss four weeks of play after suffering ligament damage in his foot during the Red Devils' 5-0 romp over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday. Cleverley's knock came on a strong challenge by Trotters forward Kevin Davies, which Sir Alex Ferguson roundly condemned.

Cleverley was not the only United player to sustain an injury at the Reebok Stadium, but he was arguably the most important player to go down. Defenders Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra will both join Cleverley on the training table at Old Trafford while the club travel to Lisbon to face Benfica in their UEFA Champions League opener on Wednesday. Fergie told MUTV:

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"Jonny is doubtful for Wednesday. He got a knee in the hip in the second half which was pretty painful, while Patrice got a kick on the kneecap."

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If Evans and Evra are not fit to play, Fergie will just have to put Chris Smalling and Fabio into his starting XI alongside Phil Jones and Rio Ferdinand.

Tough life for Fergie, indeed. Replacing Cleverley should not be much more of a burden, either, what with the likes of Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs, Park Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher itching to get on the pitch after watching Cleverley, Anderson and new boy Ashley Young fit in so beautifully.

It is also quite possible that Fergie would have held Cleverley out of action on Wednesday even if he were fit to play, as the Man U boss as made it clear that he will opt to give time to more experienced players so as to avoid another debacle at the Stadium of Light. 

Those factors, however, do not make Cleverley's setback any less unfortunate. The midfield starlet had gotten off to a torrid start with United after spending the last three seasons on loan with Leicester City, Watford and Wigan Athletic.

He had been playing so well, in fact, that Fergie was able to put on hold his search for an outside replacement for longtime talisman Paul Scholes, who joined fellow United stalwarts Gary Neville and Edwin van der Sar in retirement after the 2010-11 campaign.

For a while, that search had included Wesley Sneijder, though Fergie recently admitted that the midfield maestro for Inter Milan was "not the ideal replacement for Scholes."

Whether Cleverley turns out to be that player himself remains to be seen. United will have to wait a month or so before they know for sure. In the meantime, the Red Devils should be more than able to continue their run of success in his absence, though there is no telling how the budding chemistry of the young club will be affected without Cleverley out on the pitch.

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