Tom Cleverley: Playing for United, life just cannot get better now I want that feeling back again

Tom Cleverley celebrates after making a big impact as substitute in the Community Shield at the start of last season

The toughest season of Tom Cleverleys career will give him strength to face the challenge ahead at Old Trafford.

The 22-year-old should have been packing for a three-week adventure in Poland and the Ukraine this summer with Englands Euro 2012 squad.

Instead, he is making holiday plans before getting his teeth into relaunching his senior United career.

Breaking the Paul Scholes-Michael Carrick central midfield stranglehold is the test ahead come August.

And, with targets such as Lilles Eden Hazard, Spurs Luka Modric or Borussia Dortmunds Shinji Kagawa potentially in the way too, the battle wont be an easy one.

But, after the struggle with an ankle ligament injury that wrecked a superb autumn for the Basingstoke-born schemer, Cleverley is ready for a scrap.

I dont feel I am owed anything, Cleverley told M.E.N. Sport. Ive had some bad luck and now I have just got to get on with it. From a great start it became the hardest season of my life.
But it has made me mentally stronger.

Ive always had to cope with disappointments in my career. I had two injuries over the years but I got through them, added Cleverley, who suffered a shoulder injury and needed surgery when on loan at Leicester and a knee ligament injury during a spell at Watford.

This was the hardest yet. If you had said to me after the Everton game in October that I wouldnt start another Premier League game in the season I would have been massively gutted.
But that turned out to be the case and it was tough to come to terms with.

There is nothing more exciting in life than to be playing for Manchester United! . To hav e that taken away is very hard to deal with.

You need good family and friends around you and I have that. The lads at the club were also very supportive.

This time 12 months ago Cleverley was reflecting on a successful loan campaign at Wigan. His influence in helping the Latics avoid relegation pushed him into the forefront of Sir Alex Fergusons thinking for the 2011-12 season.

Overcome

And when Cleverley came on for Carrick in the Community Shield at Wembley last August to transform the Reds and help them overcome City 3-2, he was propelled into the frame for a starting berth in the Premier League opener at West Brom.

The youngsters flair and freshness added a bold, new dimension to the champions.

With Scholes having retired and no central midfield transfer activity forthcoming last summer, the first-team door was opened for Cleverley.

He was one of the bright young things behind Uniteds sizzling start to the season, with his first three starts seeing the Reds win against West Brom, Spurs and Arsenal, scoring 13 goals in the process.

It was a vibrant start to his Old Trafford first-team career, but it was brought abruptly to a halt at Bolton in his fourth start in September. A poor tackle by Kevin Davies damaged his ankle ligaments and, despite a brief return against Aldershot in October, the problem arose again at Everton.

It meant Cleverley didnt return until February.

His United woe also blighted his England breakthrough.

He had been called up for a friendly against Holland in August but the game was cancelled because of the London riots.

And when he did make Fabio Capellos squad for the Euro qualifiers against Bulgaria and Wales, he didnt make the bench.

After that, injuries wrecked his ambitions and turned a season of rich promise into one of searing pain.

There were times during the season ! when I t hought I was the unluckiest footballer in the world, added Cleverley.

I was called up for England and the match was called off because of the riots. Then when I was called up again, I was injured again.

It has been a nightmare at times but I am only 22 and have around 15 years ahead of me yet. I just hope I have got it all over and done with now.

When you get an injury, you need about two weeks to get your head around it and for your mind to clear. Then youre desperate to get back in amongst the lads.

There were definitely bad days. When you spend four to six weeks in the gym, you just get sick of the sight of the same four walls. Thats when you think to yourself this is the worst part of football.
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But you also comfort yourself by thinking the better days are ahead. I always knew Id be back and that eventually all the hard work would pay off.

By the time Cleverley did rid himself of the ankle problem and got over a minor knock against Ajax Scholes had made his shock comeback from retirement and was inspiring the Reds with Carrick as his impressive sidekick.

The path to glory that looked so golden in autumn, was now blocked and he made just five sub appearances in Uniteds last 11 Premier League matches.

With Cleverley unable to make an impression and repeat his early-season impact, there have been fresh calls from the Old Trafford support fo! r new fa ces to pep up the engine room.

It is always going to happen at a club like United that new big names will be linked, he said.

But no matter the names mentioned this summer, they dont come bigger or better than Paul Scholes. I already have the hardest job in the world to get past him.

Add to that Michael Carrick, who is one of the best in the country, and it is a tough time ahead. But it is a challenge and all part of the learning process. You cant get too frustrated when you are still learning from the best in the world.

Professional

Ive already learned so much from Paul. Football is his main concentration and focus. He doesnt get caught up with anything else. Hes so professional.

From a personal point of view, Paul staying on for another year after coming out of retirement means I know I have got a job on my hands, but from a collective point of view, he is one of the reasons why we can all come together next season and win trophies again.

I just have to be patient.

Unfortunately, I didnt get as many opportunities as I would have liked once I was fully fit again. The team were playing well, Scholesy and Michael were magnificent and places were cemented.

Going to the Euros was in the back of my mind, but in the end I wasnt playing much and you have to go with players in form. I just wish them all the luck in the world this summer.

In some ways it has been a wasted year. But then you think I am at the biggest club in the world, with the best manager, things are not so bad after all!

Every year, I seem to say that the next one is the biggest. I suppose thats the way when you are making progress. But this next one is going to be massive for me. I hope I can stay injury free and help win some silverware.

The start of the season gave me a lot of confidence. I realised I could play in a team like United, not be fazed ! by the s ituation or occasion and I could make an impact. I have not lost that confidence that I can do it.

I was happy with life then. When you are playing for United life cannot get better. I want that feeling again.

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