Cleverley Clears Hurdle

Tom Cleverley’s encouraging Wembley debut for the Reds and subsequent England call-up are reward for his hard work and ambition as a young player.

The midfielder shone in his second-half appearance against Manchester City on Sunday and was poised to make his senior international bow on Wednesday until England’s friendly against the Netherlands was called off.

Things are going well for the 21-year-old but he admits he once doubted whether he could make it as a footballer, as he revealed during our exclusive webchat during United’s pre-season tour of the USA.

“When I was younger my physical attributes used to get me down,” he said. “I used to wonder if I'd ever grow as big as the other players.

“But youth team coach Paul McGuinness and Eric Harrison told me not to worry, stick at it and your physical development will come. That was good advice.”

Cleverley knows he needs to continue to develop his game if he is to play for the first team on a regular basis this season, but is already aiming to emulate team-mate Chris Smalling by playing in the Champions League.

“I'm always looking to get better – I want to get faster and stronger, I want to improve my left foot and my heading ability too,” he added.

“I'd like to be able to control games a bit more, perhaps learn how to slow the game down a bit, instead of playing at a fast pace all the time.

“Since I was 18 I've progressed from League One to the Championship to the Premier League. Hopefully I can go up to the Champions League this time around.

“Chris Smalling did well last year and played quite a few European games. I don't doubt I can do it.”