Zero assists, no shots on target: Manchester United star must improve or face axe

Tom Cleverley

With each passing game, Tom Cleverley’s surname looks more and more like the opposite of nominative determinism. The Manchester United player is the living embodiment of his team’s travails in the middle of the pitch in recent seasons. He does not impose himself on a game like Roy Keane, his passing and shooting ability is not in the same league as Paul Scholes (a man he was once laughably suggested as the replacement for) and he is still a long way short of influencing matches in the manner of Michael Carrick, through quiet industry. The greatest trick the player ever pulled was convincing the world he’s still a raw youngster at almost exactly the same age as Mesut Ozil.

The arrival of Marouane Fellaini is the one thing that stands between Cleverley and a mutiny in the stands. Much of the supporters’ ire has been directed at the £27.5 million signing who looks utterly daunted by his new surroundings. For years a new midfielder has been essential and yet the Belgian has done nothing to suggest he is capable of emulating the feats of heroes like Keane and Bryan Robson. Cleverley, meanwhile, must be hoping he can do a Darren Fletcher and turn perceptions on their head in the coming seasons. Unfortunately, Fletcher is the exception rather than the rule.

Cleverley in the Manchester United v Norwich City – Capital One Cup Fourth Round

Like watching Phoebe’s in Friends, it’s almost impossible to tell what Cleverley’s strengths are even supposed to be. Since the start of the 2011/12 season, it’s hard to think of a match in which he has truly excelled. Indeed, even then his best performances have tended to be during games in which the whole team has impressed. He performed admirably in the famous 8-2 win over Arsenal but so did Ashley Young therefore that game might not be the best barometer of quality. There are no Man of the Match performances dragging the team over the line for Cleverley, merely a host of acceptable performances. Without Sir Alex Ferguson, that will not be enough to challenge for silverware.

United fans are not quick to turn on their own players, particularly when they have come through the club’s fabled youth system. A cursory glance at Cleverley’s statistics in the league this season tell their own story. In nine appearances, he has taken two shots (both, naturally, off target). He has picked up three yellow cards and won just 51% of his duels. In all those games, he has created just six chances. If the player is not in the team to aid defensive solidity (a la Phil Jones against Arsenal) and he is unable to assist his teammates going forward then it seems reasonable to wonder why he is consistently starting, aside from the depressing fact that there is little by way of an alternative. Sooner or later, Cleverley will have to prove he is in the team on merit rather than by default if he wishes to avoid the fate of so many United midfielders who have attempted to fill the void left by club legends – a transfer away from the club.