Tom Cleverley

He looks good and is playing well although it is quite clear he lacks the natural ability of a player like Scholes (who does).

Whether he can compete against world class players like Xavi or iniesta remains to be seen but he at least needs to be given a chance.

IMO he will be a very valuable squad member for United over the next few years and right now there aren't many other options so there's no point is slagging him off. Good luck to him.

I think so, I can see the possibility of him developing into a world class player, but he is still learning and so we do not know how far his learning curve will go.

manutd1982 (U6633
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Oh no, I not slagging him off, he will be a very important player for us in the future.

No, I didn't mean you, I just mean in general. Fans are way too fickle these days and 1 or 2 bad performances and I can imagine a lot of fans getting on his back.

manutd1982 (U6633
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Oh my bad, and yeah I know what you mean, but unfortunately you will always get fans like that.

What he lacks in natural flair like a scholes he makes up for in other areas. I like the simplicity of his passing, his movement , his decision to find a player with an early pass. He is always looking for that forward pass only when the pass is on.

Total breath of fresh air but at the same time let us not get carried away.

Comment Deleted by Site Moderator

You say he lacks Scholes' natural talent, but what attributes are we talking about? Only thing that really stands out is his range of passing, but didn't Scholes develop this as he got older? Perhaps he will never be world class, but his enthusiasm makes him very valuable.

It's funny - unless you have a really standout talent at a young age, like a Giggs, Scholes, Beckham, Rooney etc, then the developmental stage in the early 20s is so crucial. There was a time when Gibson looked great, now the jury is out, Evans looked like the future CB after Rio / Vidic era, but he now looks more like a squad player in the Brown / O'Shea mould, so it is very early to say about Cleverly. The time at Wigan has obviously worked wonders, and along with Wellbeck both have improved immensley, but only time will tell if they will be truely world class, or, and just as important, valuable squad members. What we do know is that they will have the right mental attitude in terms of helping the team.

Fergie is of course a master at giving young players time to develop before really deciding if they are Utd class or not - look at Nani, who has been transformed over the last 2 seasons, admittedly partly due to Ronaldo leaving, and also Anderson, who I think is really showing his worth this season and a player who I am most excited about. Don't forget Fletcher - 'those fickle' fans seemed to have questioned his worth due to a season plagued by illness, but it was only recently that we were bemoaning how much we missed him in key big games. This is certainly an exciting time for Utd fans, there is an attacking flair with this team that is a throw back to the late 90s / early 00s.