Tom Cleverley, eh?
They’ll tell you he was brilliant at Villa when, in reality, he was either dropped or their first sub off for most of the season and then – for about six games under Sherwood – he became less of a liability.
He still wasn’t great, he still wasn’t doing anything. Just less shite.
But Everton’s newest signing has ideas above his station because, if we were him, we’d be more worried about trying to get into his club team ahead of James McCarthy, Gareth Barry and Ross Barkley.
Still, he has his sights set on making the national team again.
“It’d be great to get back into the England team,” he told the Liverpool Echo, without even joking. “If you just look at the players coming through at Everton, it’s great to see how many of them are consistently featuring in the England squads.
“Hopefully I can get my name back on that list and I feel as though I’m at the right place to do that.”
He did, however have praise for Ireland’s James McCarthy but he mustn’t have realised that he is now in direct competition with one of Everton’s best players last season.
“James [McCarthy] is a top player,” Ceverley said. “I always knew he would be from when I played with him at Wigan.
“Having said that, there’s not only James, there are plenty of the other lads here who I have played with for England and Manchester United, so hopefully that will help me settle in quickly.”
So, is Tom Cleverley England material?
England are pretty average themselves but the obvious answer is of course he bloody isn’t.
We thought of 10 names that are ahead of him for a midfield berth right off the top of our heads and, even at that, we could throw five or six more if we were up for the arguments.
Jordan Henderson
Michael Carrick
Gareth Barry
Fabian Delph
James Milner
Jack Wilshere
Ross Barkley
Jack Cork
Ryan Mason
Jonjo Shelvey
Good luck, Tom.
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