‘A Star In The Making’ – Man United’s Tom Cleverley

Manchester United’s youngsters have been getting a lot of press attention in recent weeks with their exploits in the Carling Cup and the Champions League but one of the most promising of their players is currently on loan at Watford. Tom Cleverley has been a revelation in the Championship this season and the player is expected to have a bright future in the game. The England under-21 international can play anywhere across the midfield and in defence; his versatility is just one of his great attributes.

Cleverley started his career with Bradford but moved to Manchester United as a trainee at 15 years of age. He was playing in the reserves when he was 16 but suffered a serious injury that kept him out for 7 months in 2007. He was a regular for the reserves in the 07/08 season and his performances earned him a nomination for the Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year award. He was supposed to spend last season on loan at Leicester City but was forced to return to United after 15 games as he suffered a season-ending injury to his shoulder. He was impressive in his short spell at City and notched two league goals for the club.

This season Cleverley has been on loan at Watford where he has been one of their best performers in the league. He had been known for his tidy approach play but at Watford Cleverley has added goals to his name making him a valuable asset to Malky Mackay’s play-off contenders. He is Watford’s joint top scorer in the league with 7 goals in 17 appearances, a very impressive total from midfield.

Cleverley’s progress with Watford has not gone unnoticed; Sir Alex Ferguson is thought to believe the player has what it takes to make the grade at Old Trafford. Watford have successfully extended the loan deal until the end of the season but there is still interest from other clubs. Chris Hughton is thought to be keen on taking the youngster to Newcastle on a permanent basis but his interest has yet to be formalised. Cleverley will return to United high on confidence and as a much improved player, whether he is given the opportunity to flourish at Old Trafford or elsewhere, he certainly looks like a star of the future.