Not just Clevs. Evans, Smalling, Valencia, Young, have regressed. That's worrying, because they had potential when they started.
Tom Cleverley | 2014/15 Performances (on loan at Aston Villa)
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He won’t come back, he is only on loan because permanent moves to Villa and Everton fell through, if we could have sold him we would have done and his contract expires at the end of the season anyway. He would really struggle in the diamond, he isn’t suited to it in the slightest, Valencia is a much better option as backup until we add more options in midfield. It would make no sense to bring him back no matter what formation we are playing because he just isn’t good enough and he doesn’t have the temperament for this level.
LVG had a good look at him and decided he didn’t rate him and even though he has been ok at Villa it’s fairly clear that he is playing at his correct level and he isn’t even any better than Delph or Westwood. I hope he has the sense to sign for Villa so he can play regularly and carve out a decent career for himself as it is the best option for everyone involved.
I'd be delighted to let Cleverley go on a free and get Delph on a free.
Didn't Cleverley look good in the diamond the few times Ferguson tried it in his last season?
'He came from Bradford when he was 12. At 16 we didn't offer him a scholarship. He stayed at school and he worked as hard he possibly could, while still at school and at the end of that two-year period, because he had developed more physically, he had a professional contract.
'He's gone on from that to represent his country and to play many games in the Premier League.'
He's actually made a good career for himself when you stop acting like he's pissed on your kids. Not good enough for us eventually but good enough for a decent premier league career.
'He's gone on from that to represent his country and to play many games in the Premier League.'
He's actually made a good career for himself when you stop acting like he's pissed on your kids. Not good enough for us eventually but good enough for a decent premier league career.
ll this talk of him coming back after his loan, but isn't his contract up at the end of the season? This would imply we'd offer him a new contract. Seems unlikely, unless we just want to get a fee; but why would Cleverley put himself in that position? He can get much, much higher wages if he goes on a free. Probably the only chance he has of matching his Utd salary at a mid-table club (that or a hefty signing on fee).
Correct. He made a spectacular prediction last season that Cleverley will become a top 3 midfielder on the world on a few years. And yep, he was serious.
I thought Cleverley and Kagawa looked good as right and left midfielders in the diamond, personally. I wrote at length on my desire for us to continue that formation.
I thought it was a good fit to his attributes in midfield. But we did struggle at times to deal with width when defending.
It is. After reading this thread i'm actually about to take a nap
Am I the only one here who don't longer care about anything related to Cleverley? He won't play for MUFC ever again (as his contract ends and won't be prolonged for sure whatever McClair said). Neither he's United legend like Neville or Solskjaer. Well, not even Welbeck-like controversial transfer it is.
That's how I feel. He won't play for us again and isn't good enough to strengthen a rival. I'm happy to forget about him tbh
I care. I'm always interested in our graduates. Not being good enough for Manchester United does not mean he is some kind of failure, in fact we should be proud of the amount of players we have with other clubs. They continue to be representatives of our establishment.
So, don't come into his thread?
I remember we played it against Newcastle, we tore them apart the first half an hour or so, they then changed their formation and it was a pretty even game.
Cleverly hasn't set Villa on fire has he. I think we may end up giving him away.
I don't think we have a say in the matter, his contract is up next season, he can leave on a bosman and I'm more than sure Uncle Martinez already gave him a pre-contract agreement to keep under his pillow until January to avoid paying us any money to buy him this summer.
Anderson played at the tip of the diamond and scored a goal didn't he? Fun game.
Can't see Martinez wanting him. Unless he sees something we don't.
With all due respect I'll go into whatever thread I want.
Well then you're not going to forget about him are you?
Come to think of it he did, though I was thinking of a different game against Newcastle. When Cleverley scored a cross at St James' Park.
Yawn. Please stop talking to me.
Good post.
We can't let him go, think of our identity. Won't someone please think of our identity!
He will go to Arsenal on a free and become their next Viera. And then this place will explode!
imagine this place if that happenedI think Cleverley gets a lot more stick than he deserves simply because of how weak our midfield has been in the last few seasons. Worse players have played for us before but because we weren't really dependent on them it didn't really matter. It's only because Cleverley was a fixture in the first team due to lack of better options that he's held in such disdain. If we'd signed someone like Herrera a couple of seasons ago and Cleverley had remained a squad player I reckon he'd still be pretty popular.
I think LVG agrees with you, or he wouldn't be on loan right now, but I think he'd be fine as our 6th CM, though his contract expiring is another massive reason against it.
If the plan is Di Maria and Herrera in front of a CM, we need another starting quality player (Strootman and Vidal the most linked names) to rotate/compete with them/combing with them when LVG wants to play differently in certain games.
But we also need depth. Either one or two of Valencia, Fletcher, Fellaini or Anderson stay, or we sign a player who is willing to play sparingly, even if we promote one of Pereira, Pearson or Rothwell rather than loan them out to get 30 starts.
Cleverley to make an emotional final swansong return to United, I think not!
Yep. Always nice to see our graduates doing well in other teams. Usually, commentators would always mentioned United's name when talking about them.
I'd rather have Cleveley in our team than any of Fletcher, Anderson, Valencia or Fellaini but I don't think he's coming back. He's better of seeing out his contract and signing for Everton in the summer. That would be an excellent move for him and his career. May even get back to the England team.
I think he was a beneficiary of the lack of quality rather than a victim of it, he won a league title and made over 50 appearances in the Premier League only because there was such a lack of quality, if he had been competing with better players he would have been sold a long time ago. He got an opportunity he didn’t really deserve and our academy has/will produce better players who won’t get as many games as he did.
It does look nailed on he will join Everton but I think Villa is a better option for him, he has more chance of playing every game there and more chance of getting back in the England set up as a first team regular at Villa than he will as a squad player at Everton
That's true, I suppose it works both ways. I do however think that had he not been thrown into the mix in the way he was he'd be a better player now. The knock to his confidence he got when it became clear to himself and the fans that he wasn't up to the job is what really saw the rot set in. Before that he wasn't outstanding but he was easily good enough for a bench-role.
Anyway, I hope the Villa move goes well and he has a good career from here on in.
That is a fair point he did regress and there was clearly an issue(s) with his temperament or attitude which affected his performances, maybe that could have been dealt with differently and prevented the regression. At the big clubs now it is very much sink or swim though and if you don’t take your chances eventually you don’t get any more, rather than dwelling on things he needed to look at how Darren Fletcher went from being ridiculed to a key big game player who’s suspension form a Champions League final was seen as a massive blow.
As you say hopefully it all goes well for him at Villa, he can play every week, go under the radar a bit and rebuild his confidence so he should be ok.
That makes a lot of sense. I think an on form and confident Cleverley, as we've all seen in recent years, can do a good job as a box to box midfielder, especially with Van Gaal's philosophy. Unfortunately, I don't think Cleverley will be happy with a squad role, and like Welbeck, wants to get more starts.
I have to say that the open loathing towards one of our own players is baffling…
Personally, I hope he finds form and comes back a better player.
If not, then I hope he finds a club and has a good career.
Personally, I hope he finds form and comes back a better player.
If not, then I hope he finds a club and has a good career.
Totally agree on loathing bit. The chances of him returning are remote unless he has a stormer of a season. His contract runs out in 2015 so it will be up to him anyway.
Thee single greatest insult I have seen aimed at Cleverley is the fact he closes down players. When Rooney does it, lord Jesus Christ what a team player but when Cleverley does it... Even if he becomes a revelation in the 10 role at Villa I don't think he particularly wants to return, given the fan response to hearing him leave.
Typicsl fam mentality. Ruled by heart and not by head. He was not the only one to get the stick too. Most of those who were slated to be stars under Fergie, him, Welbeck, Hernandez have been for one reason or other shuttled out of the team. The frustrtation with Moyes rubbed off on the team and given the big opportunity, Cleverly in particular disappointed everytime.
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