Cleverley: A United hero in the making
After three games of the 2011/12 Barclays Premier League season, Manchester United are sitting comfortably at the top of the table with three wins from three.
To most observers on the outer, everything at Old Trafford is almost perfect at the moment.
Wayne Rooney, in a polar opposite to last season, has started this campaign on fire and more importantly, with a smile on his face. Initial concerns over injuries to key defensive duo Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have been thrown out the window in the wake of an impressive partnership between Jonny Evans and Phil Jones, who already looks a bargain at £16million. Fellow summer arrival Ashley Young has made an immediate impact on the left-flank, and even young goalkeeper David de Gea is showing signs of steadying after a shaky start to life at United.
Yet the excitement currently emanating through the air at Old Trafford is a stark contrast to the atmosphere around the club just over two months ago, immediately after the 3-1 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona.
On that fateful night at Wembley, the newly-crowned English champions were comprehensively outplayed by their Spanish counterparts. Many predicted doom and gloom to follow for United, especially with the impending retirements of veterans Edwin van der Sar, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, who for so long had been the backbone of the club.
The most troubling issue to arise from the loss to Barca was a lack of energy and creativity in the middle of the park, which meant that the normally-dangerous front pairing of Rooney and Javier Hernandez hardly managed a sniff at goal.
For so long, Scholes had been the man to provide that spark from midfield. Against Barca, he didn't even start - and even when he was introduced - hardly made a mark on the game. Clearly, the old maestro's time was up.
All summer long, everyone felt that United needed a world-class playmaker if they were to have any chance of establishing themselves as Europe's finest. Names like Luka Modric and Samir Nasri were briefly bandied around, but there was one player constantly linked to the club. For most, Wesley Sneijder to United was almost a dead-cert.
Failure to agree terms with Inter Milan meant that the dream move never materialised. Yet a month into the new season, most United fans are not even remotely troubled by the non-arrival of an established playmaker.
A certain 22-year-old by the name of Tom Cleverley is the culprit for that.
A year ago, fresh from impressive loan spells at Leicester and Watford, Cleverley had high hopes of making a first-team breakthrough at United. Yet his manager Sir Alex Ferguson did not think he was quite ready yet. Off he went down the road to Wigan, where he spent the next ten months toiling in an ultimately-successful battle against relegation.
And while he left for the Latics a boy, he returned as a man. A season's worth of being on the receiving end of crunching tackles. Ten months of fighting a grown man's battle in helping his loan club avoid the dreaded drop.
An impressive pre-season upon returning to Old Trafford saw Cleverley named on the bench for this season's curtain raiser against arch-rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield, primed to finally make his debut for the club he joined as a 12-year-old.
45 minutes into that match, United were staring an embarrassing defeat in the face, after goals from Joleon Lescott and Edin Dzeko gave City a comfortable 2-0 lead. And as a slightly-built, young lad stood on the touchline at the start of the second half, most believed Cleverley's introduction was an act of desperation more than anything else.
Yet when the final whistle blew to signal a 3-2 comeback victory for United, Ferguson was once again credited for a stroke of genius. To suggest Cleverley had dragged his side to victory would be unfair to the likes of Nani, Rooney and Chris Smalling, who all played their part in overhauling City's two-goal lead. But the drive that Cleverley brought about in midfield had United fans convinced that he could just be one for the future.
Three Premier League victories later, along with a call-up to Fabio Capello's England squad, it is clear the future is now.
Cleverley's mature displays so far have made a mockery of the earlier claims that the Red Devils desperately needed Sneijder, which has not gone unnoticed by the United fans who have since unfurled a banner which reads: "Who needs Wesley? We've got Cleverley".
And far from being daunted by such a bold proclamation for his adoring fans, Cleverley reveals he has used the banner as a source of motivation.
"I did [see the banner]," Cleverley told The Sun. "Wesley Sneijder is fantastic, but if the fans think that, I must be doing something right."
Following a slightly nervy start to their Premier League defence at West Brom, where only a late own-goal claimed all three points for United, the Red Devils got into their groove last Monday with a 3-0 home win over Tottenham, before completely annihilating rivals Arsenal 8-2 on Sunday.
Cleverley acknowledge that, with the amount of talented players at the club, the ability to put in a performance like Sunday's against the Gunners is always a possibility.
Nonetheless, he concedes that it is still quite surreal when it all comes together during an actual game.
"It's a real pleasure to play in a display like that with world-class players.
"I see that in training that we have it in our locker, but when it all comes together it is pretty exciting.
"We are a young, high-energy team and hopefully we will keep putting on performances like that and that the trophies will come.
"We were ruthless in front of goal [on Sunday]."
A key component of United's attacking play in recent times has been their fluidity across the park. Against the Gunners, wide men Young and Nani regularly switched sides to keep their opponents guessing, while Smalling once again put in an adventurous yet accomplished display in the unfamiliar role of right-back.
Cleverley believes the versatility of the United players adds an extra dimension to their attack.
"We look good going forward. Our versatility means that almost anybody can occupy the forward postions and we can swap about.
"We know each other's games inside out - it must be a joy to watch."
Having had to bide his time during all those loan spells, Cleverley's rise from youth team player to first-team regular has not exactly been a rapid one. Nevertheless, the 22-yearold reveals he always believed he could follow in the footsteps of past academy graduates who went on to become United legends.
"I have always looked on thinking one day I want to be on the pitch.
"It is happening, but I have got to work hard and stay there.
"Growing up around Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and David Beckham, you know the history of the club.
"I looked at Scholes and Beckham, top professionals you can model your game on."
And Cleverley, who previously wore the number 35 jersey, also reveals that Beckham was his inspiration when Ferguson offered him a new shirt number.
"The manager offered me 22 or 23 [but] I prefer wearing odd numbers.
"David Beckham was my idol growing up, and he wore 23 at Real Madrid and still does with LA Galaxy."
However, while it may be Beckham's jersey number that is currently emblazoned on the back of his shirt, it may just be Scholes' influence in the middle of the park that Cleverley ultimately goes on to emulate.
And if he does so, United fans could just have a new hero in the making.
