Tom Cleverley was not the midfielder Louis Van Gaal had hoped for at Manchester United and was almost immediately loaned out to Aston Villa for the season.

The Midlands-club have an option to buy, which looks like a great option right now. Aston Villa’s season may have gotten off to a shaky start, but they have stabilised now - and they do have Cleverley, partly, to thank for that.

Of course, much more credit has to go to the fact Paul Lambert was relieved of his managerial duties, to be replaced by Tim Sherwood.

Sherwood was written off following his incredibly brief spell at Tottenham Hotspur. He has been overenthusiastic in his celebrations, but he has kept his side out of the relegation zone and even lead them to the FA Cup final. Not bad for a gilet-loving non-manager.

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And credit must be given to Sherwood for getting the best out of Tom Cleverley. He was not exactly the best player United had, and he knew it. Last season he was picking up yellow cards - not much has changed for this season - but could only bag a single goal. In a 3-0 win against Aston Villa.

In his last three appearances alone for Aston Villa, Tom Cleverley has found the back of the net. He’s scored against Manchester City, Everton and West Ham - all teams that are above his own. Clearly his confidence is building by playing every week, and he is benefitting from the faith given to him by his manager.

With his new found goal scoring form, Tom Cleverley will not want the season to end two weeks from now. But when it does, he must put pen-to-paper on a permanent contract at Villa Park.

He needs to repay the faith the team have put in him, as his career has been somewhat revived. He has been linked to a move to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, but why ruin a good thing? He will have to get accustomed to a new league, and a new playing style. He cannot even guarantee he will be a regular starter in the Bundesliga.

If the England international can emulate the form he has found at the tail end of this season come August, he will play a huge part in Aston Villa’s future plans.

Tim Sherwood is singing his praises, and Cleverley is living up to the hype.

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