It was certainly a weekend of mixed fortunes for Aston Villa after they were hammered six-one by Southampton in what has to go down as their worst performance of the season.

Yet on a difficult day for Villa fans there was some good news as despite the defeat, their status as Premier Club was secured thanks to Hull’s defeat at Tottenham, which looking back on the season as a whole has to be a positive.

Aside from their thrashing at Saint Mary’s, Aston Villa had enjoyed a decent run of form under Tim Sherwood over recent months which saw them climb out of the bottom three and even manage a famous FA Cup semi final win over Liverpool to set up a clash with Arsenal later this month.

Their escape from relegation has been a great turnaround given they were in the bottom three when Sherwood arrived having gone 10 games without a win; a period where they scored just twice in the process.

But Sherwood’s arrival back in February has not only brought about a change in fortunes; highlighted by five wins in their last 10, but has also seen them develop a far more exciting an effective style of football that has them scoring goals once again.

And at the heart of their revival has been on-loan Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley who on a personal level is also enjoying life under Sherwood.

The 25-year-old found himself on the scoresheet for three successive games prior to last weekend, highlighting just how effective he has been for Villa who now face a battle to hang onto the England star.

Cleverley enjoyed a great start to his United career back when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge, helping the Red Devils to the Premier League title in 2013.

But following Ferguson’s departure, Cleverely endured a season of torment as he was heavily criticised for the club’s failure during David Moyes’ spell in charge.

Thankfully for the midfielder he has regained his form and confidence at Villa Park, and with his contract at Old Trafford set to expire; he has a big decision to make regarding his future.

Villa are obviously keen to sign him up on a permanent deal, and despite reported interested from the likes of Wolfsburg, Everton and Arsenal, it’s certainly something he needs to consider.

Villa and Sherwood have shown great faith in him, and the new approach brought in by the manager has allowed Cleverley to flourish alongside Fabian Delph and Ashley Westwood in midfield.

The attacking freedom he now has is already proving effective, and his energy and creativity have been most welcome in the Villa midfield.

Sherwood looks to be building an exciting team, and having become an essential part of their plans this season, Cleverley is feeling valued once more.

Having settled into the side, he is guaranteed regular first-team football and showing what he can do on a weekly basis has not only silenced the critics but has people talking about a possible return to England.

While the lure of Champions League football will be tempting he’s not certain to play as regularly were he to move elsewhere during the summer, and having shown how much his game relies on confidence a transfer elsewhere could be damaging for him.

Having regained his form and got back to his best, it would be silly to give this up and signing a long-term contract at Villa would surely be a great move for Cleverley. This would allow him to focus his attention solely on his game, and if he continues to star in the team he will get his reward of Champions League football at some point.

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