The 1995-96 Premier League season will always be remembered as the time Manchester United defied the critics to win the Double with a very youthful squad which had such players as Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and David Beckham at the beginning of their careers.
15 years later and Neville and Scholes both called time on their careers which left huge gaps in Sir Alex’s squad. During this summer transfer window Ferguson quickly moved to sure up the defensive hole with Phil Jones. But a lot has been speculated about who would be brought in to try and replace the creative midfield role that had been owned by Scholes for so long under the Scotsman, becoming one of the best in the world at it during that time.
The name that has been constantly linked as the replacement who would fit the bill perfectly is Inter Milan man Wesley Sneijder. Since arriving at Internazionale from an unhappy spell at Real Madrid in 2009 he has become an absolute dynamite of a player helping the club to a treble under Jose Mourinho in the same season. He then went on to be Holland’s best player during the World Cup in South Africa, scoring 5 goals that got them to the final before they were undone by Spain.
And if United were able to prise the midfielder away from the San Siro club then they might have the final piece of the puzzle that could push them on to rivalling Barcelona this season.
However I feel there is no need for Ferguson to spend a potential £35 million to find his man. I think Sir Alex should go back to his roots that have served him so well before and plug for the youth that is in his squad already. And there is one man who, allowed to play Premier League and Champions League football could reach the level that Scholes got the chance to do. And that man is Tom Cleverley.
Tom Cleverly’s Manchester United career so far has been like any other you would expect to see of a youth at Old Trafford. A succession of loan spells in different divisions during the main season whilst making the odd appearance for the Red Devils during preseason.
After impressing in the reserve side for a number of seasons, Tom was allowed to go to Leicester City on a season long loan when they were in League One back in 2009. Though his time at the Foxes was cut short by a bad injury, he managed 15 appearances and scored two goals which contributed in Leicester’s winning of the division and got him a medal.
The following season Cleverley took it to the next level with Championship side Watford. That season saw him get a full season under his belt scoring 11 goals in 33 league appearances, winning him the Hornet’s Player of the Season award.
Then the big test was in last season when the midfielder got a chance in the Premiership with Wigan Athletic. And it was an effective time with the Latics as he got 25 Premier League appearances under his belt scoring four goals for Roberto Martinez as Wigan survived relegation on the last day of the season.
Now that Cleverley has returned for the start of this season I think now is the perfect time to give him a chance in the side. At 21-years-old, he is the same age as Scholes was when he got his first full run in the team. Cleverley has shown he has got what it takes to compete in all the divisions he has played in including the very top. He has also become an integral part of the team of the England U21 side, most recently in the U21 European Championships this summer who started two of the group games in Denmark.
All Cleverley needs is a chance to prove himself, the same chance Sir Alex gave Scholes all those years ago. If he gets the opportunity then he has every chance of living up to the hype that he is the long term replacement of Paul Scholes.
And in my opinion, it should start on August 13 against West Bromwich Albion.
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Cleverley is a decent player but hasnt done anything to justify a post like this. He did well at Wigan but he wasn’t really one of their best players. Its insane to start comparing him to players like sneijder at this early stage. If he turns out to be as good as Ji-Sung Park hell have done well.(not a criticism btw) If you want to pick out a United younster with the type of skill and potential to compare with a sneijder then maybe you should look at Ravel Morrison. Hes just a kid but he has far more natural talent and ability than Cleverley and stands out at youth level. Cleverley while a good player has never actually stood out at any level hes played at. Morrisons potential best is a lot higher than Cleverleys.
I like the lad and I’m confident that he can and will contribute, but what we need are players in the middle of the patk that can maintain possession, dictate the flow and tempo of a game, adapt at playing in tight and pressure situations, ala, when under pressure by the likes of Barcelona, can split defenses with clever and well timed runs and passes and Cleverly is not that guy…Pogba will be that guy and needs to be introduced soon, but for now we need a Modric or any player in that mold. If nothing else have you watched our pre-season matches,if so, than you should be as concerned as I am about our weakness in the middle of the park.I t’s scary.
Cleverley will never make it at United, end of.
Hate to upset you but Cleverley wil make it at United, how long you been a United supporter if you are which I bet you are not. Cleverley will be a big star here at United.
I’ve been a United fan my whole life, so there is no point trying to take some pathetic moral-high-groud. I just don’t think he’ll make it after seeing him on the tour, watching him in the reserves for years and after doing many Wigan match reports last season. Not technically astute enough to be a creative influence for United. Would’ve been better off keeping Eikrem and/or promoting Pogba. Okay, he may “make it” in the sense that’ll be a squad player, but he’ll NEVER be a “big star”.
fter seeing Cleverley play in the USA this month I doubt he is good enough to play for Dukinfield Town!!!
Too much talk and over expectation,same hype was on Gibson but in the end you all witnessed the results.
Wesley is in his own class, if United want a MF,they must be serious not makeshifts.
who writes this thrash, cleverly is not fit to lace sneijders boots for god sake, all this talk about winning de champs lge next season, how on earth is man u going to beat barca with the shite midfield that they have,carrick,fletcher,anderson?
you lot are bunch of negative twats, love when people think they know about players when in fact they don’t! you’ll all be eating your words when he makes it!
I have been watching Tom for the past several years and he is going to become a true great here at Manchester United and anyone who thinks otherwise are just fools who dont know a damn thing about football or ManUtd. Cleverley will become a United legend. Do we need Sneijder? NO, we have Cleverley.