England can forget about Paul Scholes, as Sir Alex Ferguson made
plain with undisguised Scottish disdain before Manchester United's entry into
the strange land of the
Europa League, but
it will not be long before they call for another precision
midfielder who has reappeared at an opportune moment in the
champions' season. Tom Cleverley was eased back against Ajax and even in a low-key
return he showed why he has attracted more tributes than
appearances for United.
The first-leg meeting with Frank de Boer's pragmatic Ajax will
not register in the annals at Old Trafford other than for the night
Cleverely made his European debut for the club at the age of 22.
For a United player of such promise it has been a long time coming,
a reflection of the level Ferguson's teams had been operating at in
Europe prior to this season but also the injury problems that have
curtailed Cleverley's progress and saw him given only 60 minutes
against the Dutch club.
This was only the midfielder's eighth appearance in a United
shirt in a season that was interrupted for six weeks after a foot
injury sustained in a challenge with Kevin Davies at Bolton and
then, two matches into his comeback, another four months after
suffering ankle ligament damage at Everton. His previous seven
outings had also resulted in a United victory, notably that 8-2
destruction of Arsenal and his display against Manchester City in
the Community Shield when, for the undoubted promise on show,
predictions of the new Scholes or the cheaper alternative to Wesley
Sneijder always seemed a little premature.
The game reflected the status of European football's long,
winding and overblown second competition rather than that of the
two opponents but there were occasional glimpses from Cleverely of
the energy and accuracy he brings to the United midfield. A direct
confrontation with Ajax's coveted young Dane, Christian Eriksen, a
player linked with Old Trafford, offered the glimpse of a potential
midfield of the future. That never materialised as caution consumed
the two sides.
Twice Cleverley demonstrated vision worthy of Scholes. In the
first half he demanded a ball inside from Michael Carrick and
instantly swept a superb pass for Wayne Rooney in space down the
right. In the second, as Ajax cleared a United free-kick, he picked
out Javier Hernández inside a crowded penalty area with a precise
volley. Both opportunities were squandered by United and it did not
help Cleverley to find so many of his outlets – Nani, Hernández and
Ashley Young, irrespective of their goals – enduring nights when a
good first touch was often beyond them.
United's young players require European experience as the team's
feeble exit from the Champions League in Basel, and the analysis
from Roy Keane that so irked Ferguson, underlined. Injury absolved
Cleverley from any culpability for the Champions League campaign
and here he showed the pace and movement to support the United
attack as Scholes once did but no one could in their absence in
Switzerland.
To the United manager, who recently salivated at the prospect of
his midfield being improved by two players at opposite ends of the
age scale, Cleverely's comeback is perfectly timed for the business
end of the season and allows him an alternative to playing Scholes
for 90 minutes, regardless of how exemplary those 90 minutes were
against Liverpool on Saturday. "It will be great to get the boy
back because I think he's special," said Ferguson as Cleverley
completed his latest rehabilitation. "He will be desperate to play
with Scholes. We have a great collection of midfield players."
The master replaced the apprentice in Amsterdam and the
expectation upon Cleverley is immense. As Eric Harrison, the former
United youth coach synonymous with the best of the club's
production line, said: "Tom for me is, without question, so good
that he is the best young player at United since Paul Scholes, Ryan
Giggs and David Beckham came on to the scene."