Cleverley: Loan deal was my best option
Manchester United midfield player Tom Cleverley says a season-long loan deal to Wigan Athletic was his best option for the season.
Cleverley is rated as one of the best young players in the country but it's unlikely that he would have had many first team opportunities had he stayed on at Manchester United after the transfer window.
He will now have a chance to play regularly at Wigan and this will allow him to increase his experience and catch the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson at United. Ferguson has already said that he rates the player but it seems it's a touch too early for him to be thrown into the cauldron of the United first team.
There are many benefits for the player and for Wigan in this deal. However, ultimately the player will want to pull on the red shirt of Manchester United so Wigan have to curb any intent that they might sign him permanently.
Benefits for club and player
The main benefit for Wigan is that they get a player who Ferguson has called the next Paul Scholes. They get him for a whole season and it's unlikely that United will put a condition in the deal that stops him from playing in cup competitions.
The biggest benefit for the player is that he will get the chance to play more first team games than he would have at United. He will also benefit from the guidance of Roberto Martinez who, as a Spaniard, will want his team to play slick, passing football.
Cleverley will also be able to enjoy the first team environment that he will experience at Wigan. This is the typical every-day life of a player at a club. He can build relationships through this and will learn off of the experience of older players at Wigan.
Cleverley said: "This was the right next step for me. Sir Alex Ferguson had said he wanted to keep me, but looking at the size of United's squad and the quality of the midfielders, I worried I might not get many chances. I went to see the manager last week and had a chat and we both came to the agreement that it would be best to go out on loan."
Back of the mind
There is always going to be the lingering thought at the backs of minds at Wigan that the player will return to Manchester United. Ferguson clearly rates him but feels it's a little too soon to put him in front of Scholes or Michael Carrick.
This means that if Wigan have an amazing season – and a lot of it is down to Cleverley – then they have virtually no chance of signing him permanently. This would mean the club taking a step forward and then two back because they'll eventually lose the player.
He added: "Wigan suits me down to the ground. I don't know the manager Roberto Martinez but I've heard good things about him. I know he likes to play football and you can see that the way Wigan play. I would have loved to have stayed at United, but I had to be realistic. This is the best approach."
Betting advice
Cleverley is a very talented and skilful young player. He can sit anywhere in the midfield and control the central areas of the pitch. Martinez will encourage him to get forward and provide an additional threat in attack. This makes him a candidate to score goals and you will get good odds because he's a relatively unknown commodity in the Premier League.
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