From being hailed as the heir to Paul Scholes at Old Trafford to becoming a player Manchester United fans desperately wanted out of the club, the fall of Tom Cleverley has been quite spectacular.
Although not a bad player, Cleverley never managed to cut it at his boyhood Manchester United and was perhaps unfairly made the scapegoat for the Red Devils’ failings last season.
Nonetheless, it was clear that Cleverley simply did not prove that he was good enough to stake a claim as a regular in the United midfield and was deemed surplus to requirements by manager Louis van Gaal at the start of the season.
Cleverley could not fulfill his potential at United
Initially it was believed that van Gaal was happy to offload Cleverley permanently and with Aston Villa showing real interest, a £8million move had been widely touted. However, the transfer did not come into fruition and while Cleverley did eventually move to Villa, it was on a loan deal till the end of the season.
Cleverley has not exactly set the world alight with his performances for Villa so far but he has been in decent form and it is now believed that the Midlands side will be looking to secure the midfielder on a permanent loan when the transfer window reopens in January.
The Englishman’s contract at United expires at the end of the season and he will be free to open talks with foreign clubs in January.
Villa desperate to land Cleverley permanently
As a result, Villa manager Paul Lambert is said to have shown urgency in his bid to land Cleverley on a permanent deal and according to reports emerging out of England, the 45-year old is ready to splash as much as £7.5million to sign the Manchester United man.
The Villa hierarchy on the other hand, are said to be looking to wait until Cleverley’s contract with United expires at the end of the season and secure the 25-year old on a free transfer but with Lambert desperate to land his top man – a move in January can be expected.
Money seems to be no object for Manchester United as evidenced by their whopping £140million summer splurge but the lack of Champions League has hit them financially this season and as a result, receiving £7.5million for a player who could leave on a free within six months – certainly represents a good deal for the Red Devils.
