Cleverley: I Suit The System

Tom Cleverley believes he can claim a role in Louis van Gaal's Manchester United line-up after studying the style of the Netherlands side.

The midfielder feels he would be suitable for the team's new 3-5-2 formation and intends to start demonstrating it in Denver, where the Reds will face Roma on Saturday afternoon (14:06 local time). His Dutch manager has promised him a full 90 minutes, joking he should "fear" the conditions while saying "he's young and will cope" with the Colorado heat and high altitude.

"I watched the manager's Holland team in the World Cup and from that I think I'm going to be his type of player," said Cleverley at a pre-match press conference on Friday night. "I have to show that in training and most importantly games. I think there's a place for me but I have to prove it."

Cleverley is clearly hoping to benefit from a fresh start and a summer off, having missed out on England's abortive World Cup campaign.

"I managed to have a good break and recharge my batteries," he admitted. "Now we're back and all trying to impress the boss. We know what he wants - a passing and moving style. He's very clear and we have a good group of lads who are willing to learn. We made a good start the other night and we'll see how we go from there."