Will the recovery of Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere give Tom Cleverley somebody to play on his frequency, hopefully bringing out the better short game talents from the likes of Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney for the England national team?
Born just 30 minutes away from myself down the A33 in Basingstoke was a future Manchester United and England international. In fact he was born little over two months after me but the nostalgic and romantic belief I may have once shared a pitch with this precocious talent is mystical at best.
Raised up north and a member of Bradford City’s youth team it is there were Manchester United first recognised his talent and moved to sign Tom Cleverley for their own youth system in the year 2000.
Since then he has come on leaps and bounds throughout his baby-like career with loan spells at Leicester City, Watford and Wigan Athletic all playing a huge role in his development.
This year has seen the emergence of Cleverley as an England international after he made his debut against Italy in August. Despite several glaring misses in his relatively short international career he has impressed many with his mature ability on the ball. Indeed against San Marino he broke an England record, 165 touches on the ball during the game, the highest ever recorded.
While that should be looked at in context as San Marino are woeful something appeared apparent to me at least in the fixture with Poland.
Tom Cleverley is running on a completely different frequency to the rest of the England players.
That is not meant as a criticism toward the Manchester United player in fact it is a compliment. He constantly strived to get into the right areas of the pitch. In between the defence and the midfield and his bending accurate passes were swift and direct.
While Michael Carrick receives the ball, stops, looks up and picks his pass Cleverley has already done all those things before the ball reaches him. He scans the pitch and knows where his next move should be. It is the type of intelligent play you see from Paul Scholes or any of the Spanish national football team.
Not many players seem to be working with him on that level. When Steven Gerrard stops looking for long balls he has an excellent short game and the same applies to Wayne Rooney but otherwise Cleverley seemed to be chasing around with his hands outstretched wondering what was taking the likes of Carrick, Johnson and Defoe so long.
Cleverley out of all the England internationals will benefit more than anybody from the re-introduction of a fully fit Jack Wilshere to the side as their link-up play could be devastating.
I would go as far to say they could be our version of Xavi and Iniesta, although I am not sure I am that bold.
Or maybe that is exactly what I am saying.
What do you make of Tom Cleverley’s England career so far and a potential link-up with Jack Wilshere?
image: © eschipul
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