Tom Cleverley gets a lot of stick. He is often used as an exemplification of the weakness of the Manchester United midfield.
Cleverley does not score that many goals and his assists record is not the best.
However just because he is not an eye-catching player with his performances does not mean that he is not a valuable asset to club and country.
To focus purely on the output of goals scored and created overlooks the overall impact that Cleverley has on his team.
The midfielder joined United in 2005 before progressing through the youth system at Old Trafford.
It took until 2011 for Cleverley to make his debut for the Red Devils after successful loan spells at Leicester, Watford and Wigan.
On his debut, Cleverley was a half-time substitute in the Community Shield, coming on with United trailing 2-0 and playing a huge part in their eventual 3-2 victory.
In the following weeks Cleverley was instrumental in a United team who started the season like a train, comfortably beating Spurs, demolishing Arsenal 8-2 at Old Trafford and thrashing Bolton at the Reebok.
In that Bolton game, Cleverley picked up an injury which kept him sidelines until October – when he would soon pick up another knock which ruled him out until February.
From there United suffered a dip in form, including the infamous 6-1 home defeat to Manchester City.
In Cleverley’s absence, United also crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage.
Cleverley ended the season he has started so brightly with just 15 first-team appearances as United finished the campaign trophyless.
That is not a coincidence.
Last season Cleverley was a mainstay of Sir Alex Ferguson’s title-winning midfield – again demonstrating the influence the Basingstoke-born man has on United.
It is an influence which is all too readily overlooked by those who wish to criticise for a lack of eye-catching skills.
Last weekend against Aston Villa showed what Cleverley can do.
He ran the midfield with a performance full of energy, incisive passing and even a rare goal.
What Cleverley brings to United which rarely gets attention is tempo.
When he does not play the tempo is significantly slower than when he is in the team, due to the desire Cleverley has to move the ball on quickly through short passes and lay-offs.
Of course it does not always work.
There are games when the lay-offs miss their targets and United concede possession too easily.
That is a risk worth taking if the overall tempo of the team is lifted by his presence.
Cleverley brings other players into play. He moves the ball quickly and also plays a high-energy game, hassling the opposition constantly throughout the match.
That makes him an asset to the side defensively as well as what he offers going forward.
It would be foolish to suggest that Cleverley is the finished article. He is far from it.
He needs to become a more prolific goalscorer from midfield and certainly to work on his shooting.
He gets in good threatening positions in and around the area but too often either lacks the confidence to shoot or fires his effort well off target. That side of his game needs some work.
Cleverley also needs to improve his tackling. It is an absolute requirement of the modern day central midfielder that they are able to win the ball in the tackle.
While he is never shy of sticking his foot in, his technique in the tackle is questionable.
These are things that need to improve and quickly, but there is no reason to think that they can’t and if those areas are strengthened we are looking at a top-drawer player.
Roy Hodgson played Cleverley in his first nine matches as England manager, showing the faith that he has in the United midfielder.
Sir Alex Ferguson chose not to strengthen the United midfield in recent years, instead placing trust in Cleverley to be able to step up as a first choice option for his club.
Hodgson and Ferguson are not fools. They recognise the talent that Cleverley has and believe he has what it takes to succeed at the highest level.
What Cleverley does on a football field is unflashy, uncomplicated and largely unfashionable.
Therefore he is overlooked and underrated.
He brings a verve and a tempo to United and England which is severely lacking when he is absent from the team.
Cleverley has the wonderful habit of passing to his own team – to use the phrase that Jamie Redknapp likes to trot out on SkySports.
While he does need to work on his finishing, improve his tackling and begin to introduce some more incisive passes to his play, Cleverley is a talent that United and England fans should recognise and be grateful to have.
Picture courtesy of BBC via YouTube, with thanks.
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