A Hit And Miss Night For British Boxing.

By Sheldan Keay

 British boxing was heavily featured tonight, and while it may have been a good night for one of our fighters, sadly it wasn't for another. Matthew Macklin failed in his bid to win the WBA middleweight championship, after a controversial split decision loss to champion Felix Sturm. However, Kell Brook put on a great display to push Lovemore N'Dou to his limits on his way to a unanimous points victory over the seasoned veteran.

Macklin got off to a great start in his fight with Sturm, hitting the German with punishing shots to the body that left his chest covered in redness and could very easily have left Sturm with several broken ribs. Macklin continued to look strong going into the mid way part of the fight, however Sturm then began to gain his composure and showed why he was the reigning champion. Each round featured some good exchanges with each boxer, and could have easily been given either way. However, due to the great start that Macklin made, most media scoring the fight had him as the victor, this was not to be though as the judges awarded Sturm a split decision, with scores of 116-112 to Sturm from two judges, and 115-113 to Macklin from the other. 

Speaking about the fight, Macklin said "I was very strong, stronger than Felix and I won, no doubt, I hope Felix will give me another fight, maybe in November." It would be hard to find somebody who would disagree with whether or not Macklin deserved a rematch, as the performance he put in showed exactly why he earned this world title fight, and showed exactly why his trainer Joe Gallagher was on a 49 fight winning streak as a trainer. 

 Despite the disappointment in Germany, Kell Brook was able to make the night partly succesful, due to the great performance that he put on in his native Sheffield. In a fight that many said would be the hardest of his career, Brook was able to dominate N'Dou from bell to bell, and won all but 1 round on two of the judges score cards, with the third judge giving one more round to N'Dou. Despite never being stopped in his career, N'Dou was forced to clinch and hold Brook several times in order to try and stop the enslaught of attacks that he was facing, as Brook hurt N'Dou with punishing upper cut and haymakers.

Speaking about the fight, Brook said "I maybe said I'd stop him to hype it up and get people interested, but at the back of my mind I knew it would be a 12-round fight, It's a big learning curve in my career, my first 12-round fight. Maybe I held back a bit and there were some things I did wrong, but that's all learnt now." The win earned Brook the WBA inter-continental championship, and may leave him in prime position for a world title shot at the WBA belt. Current champion Viacheslav Senchenko defends the belt against Marco Antonio Avendano in Ukraine on August 20th, and the winner of that bout could see themselves defending the title against Brook in the UK before the end of the year. 

All in all, both Macklin and Brook can be proud of their performances tonight, while Macklin may have come up short in his bid to become champion, he won the hearts of many with his gutsy performance, and with many feeling that he won the fight, he may have earned himself a rematch with Sturm. As for Brook, he again proved why many are tipping him for great things in the welterweight division, and with a world title shot within his grasp, he is showing why he is regarded as one of the UK's biggest prospects.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Nate Marquardt Released From UFC.

By Sheldan Keay

 As we prepared for the fighters to weigh in for this Sunday's UFC on Versus 4 event, nobody expected that we would recieve news from Dana White that the UFC has released a high profile fighter, and it was an even bigger shock when that fighter turned out to be Nate Marquardt, who was scheduled to main event the card on Sunday.

The shocking news first came to a head when it was announced that Marquardt was pulled from the card due to him failing a pre-fight test which he is required to take in order to fight. It was initially believed that this could have been due to an injury Marquardt had picked up in training that he had failed to recover from, but after Dana White announced via his Twitter page that Marquardt has been released, it would appear that it is much more serious than that.

Several rumours are floating around that Marquardt's firing could be due to irregularity during his drugs test, however those are just rumours at this current time. Marquardt had already been facing a change of opponent in Rick Story, and now Story will have only 24 hours to prepare for his new opponent, Charlie Brenneman, who was set to feature on the card against T.J Grant, but that fight was called off after Grant fell ill earlier this week.

Despite this set back, all the other fighters on the card succesfully made weight for the event, and due to the cancellation of the main event, Cheick Kongo VS Pat Barry will be promoted from co-main event to the main event on the card, with Rick Story and Charlie Brenneman becoming the co-main event of the evening.

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England Collapse Hands Sri Lanka Crushing Win.

By Sheldan Keay 

Despite a good start, England lost the first Twenty20 match to Sri Lanka after collasping from 95-2 after 10 overs to 136-9 after 20 overs. It will be a huge blow to captain Stuart Broad, who was leading out England for the first time in his career.

England were criticised before the match for their failure to include several high profile names such as Ian Bell in the squad for the Twenty20 game, but initially it appeared that England would be fine without them. After a poor start where England lost Michael Lumb for 2 and Craig Kieswetter for 4, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan steadied the ship on their way to both men nearly reaching their half centuries. However after losing both men in quick succession, the rest of England's order could only make a combined 35, to leave Sri Lanka needing 137 runs to win the match.

England got off to a good start in their bowling efforts, with England debutant Jade Dernbach taking the wicket of Sanath Jayasuriya for 8 in the 4th over. But Sri Lanka didn't look back from there, and eased their way to a 9 wicket victory with just under 4 overs to spare, with Mahela Jayawardena hitting 72, and Kumar Sangakkara hitting 43. Sri Lanka looked impressive throughout the match, both in their bowling and their batting, however it is up to debate whether or not Sri Lanka were that good or if England were that bad.

Several England players failed to impress, with Samit Patel being cheaply run out for 0 on his return to the side. Stuart Broad also dissapointed with the bad, and also went for a duck after 3 balls. Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright were England's opening partnership at the T20 World Cup, and had a brief spell together during the middle order, but Wright could only manage 9 while Bopara briefly impressed with his score of 19. The game got off to a bad start for England from the off set, with Stuart Broad losing the toss in his first match as England captain.

All in all, England were looking promising before a middle order collaspe handed Sri Lanka the victory, despite being Twenty20 world champions, this lacklustre performance will give England little confidence heading in to their one day internationals with Sri Lanka, where the team will once again be altered, causing more disrupt in the England camp.

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Can Anybody Stop Sebastian Vettel?

By Sheldan Keay

Earlier today, Sebastian Vettel stormed his way to his 7th poll position of the 2011 F1 Grand Prix as he set a new record lap time around Valencia's street circuit in qualifying for tomorrow's European Grand Prix. The reigning champion has looked unstoppable this season, and it begs the question as to whether or not anybody can stop the German?

Since Michael Schumacher's 5 year reign as F1 world champion was ended by Fernando Alonso in 2005, the sport has seen 5 different world champions in that time, with Alonso winning twice, and Kimi Räikkönen, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and most recently Vettel all being crowned champion. This constant swapping of champions gave the impression that it may be a while until the Sport would see a driver with as much dominance as Schumacher, but funnily enough, it may be a fellow German who appears to have broken this trend.

Vettel burst on to the world stage after sealing his maiden F1 world championship on the final race of the year, after beating off competition from Alonso, team mate Mark Webber and Hamilton, who were all mathmatically eligible of becoming champion. Alonso was leading the championship on 246 points, while Vettel was third with 231 points. Vettel went on to win the race, while Alonso could only manage to finish seventh, which gave Vettel the championship by four points, as he finished on 256 overall points. Despite this close finish to the 2010 F1 season, this season has been anything but close.

Vettel has not finished out of the top 2 in any of the 7 races this season, winning 5 of them. He has already amassed a lead of 50 points over 2nd placed Jenson Button, and with another poll position under his belt, it is hard to see any fault in Vettel's game that would allow him to let this lead slip. During the Canadian Grand Prix, it was shown that when under pressure Vettel may let leads slip, as his mistake allowed Jenson Button to overtake him on the last lap on the way to his only win of the season. However, this was a rare occasion for Vettel, and it is unlikely that this action will be repeated by Vettel.

If Vettel is to go on to win the 2011 championship like he is expected, it would appear that Formula 1 would have uncovered a new star, and at just 23 years old, Vettel can look forward to a great career if he continues to produce the hard work and determination that has made his succesful thus far in his career. It would be fitting that it is another German who may be the one to dominate this Sport for the years ahead, following the success that was shown by a certain Michael Schumacher nearly a decade ago.

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Kell Brook VS Lovemore N'Dou Preview

By Sheldan Keay

 

As well as Matthew Macklin's world title challenge on Saturday, another high profile English boxer returns to the ring in his quest for his own world title bout. Highly rated Kell Brook returns to his native Sheffield for the first time in 6 years to face crafty veteran Lovemore N'Dou for the vacant WBA inter-continental welterweight title.

Brook comes into this fight having won all 23 of his previous bouts, and will be looking to extend that record to 24 unbeaten. Having stopped 12 of his last 13 opponents, Brook will believe that has the tools to be able to become the first man to stop N'Dou. At the age of 39, N'Dou be stepping in to the ring for his 63rd professional bout, having previously won 48 of them. Despite being beat 12 times in his career, most recently in his last outing against WBC light middleweight champion Saul Alvarez, N'Dou has never been stopped during his 18 year career.

British boxing fans may remember N'Dou for a number of reasons, he fought former world light welterweight champion Junior Witter to a close decision at the Staples Centre back in 2005, and also lost a split decision to opponent Paulie Malignaggi, which became known as the infamous "hair cut fight" due to Malignaggi having his ponytail being cut off mid way through the fight, that bout took place on the undercard of Rickie's Hatton 2008 bout against Juan Lazcano at the City of Manchester Stadium. Most recently, N'Dou faced off against Matthew Hatton in November 2009 for N'Dou's IBO welterweight title, in a bout that after 12 grueling rounds, was ruled a draw.

Brook appears to have all the right skills in order to beat N'Dou, being only 25, he is the much younger man, and will have a considerable speed advantage over N'Dou. Brook is also well known for being a heavy hitter, with 16 of his 23 victories coming inside the distance. Not surprisingly, he is being backed as the heavy favourite for this fight, and not only does Brook think that he can stop N'Dou, but he also feels that this fight is a good way to silence those who have doubted him. Brook said "I hope I can be the first guy to stop him, he's never been in with someone like me, that's a challenge, but I'd love to give the fans a 12 round exciting fight. And it's also good for me if I do go 12 rounds because I've never been 12 rounds before." He went on to say "Lovemore N'dou is an ex-world champion, he's tough, game and has been in with the best. He's definitely a step up in class. That's what I want - I don't want to be fighting lesser opponents, I want to be fighting tough people."

If Brook is to win this fight, he would be in poll position for a world title fight somewhere down the line, and Brook also believes that he is ready for such an occasion if it was to arise. "Hopefully my next fight is a world title fight. I'm willing to fight any of the champions. I want to chase the title and get one of those belts. With this bout being contensted over the WBA inter-continental championship, this would appear to put Brook in contention for a fight against the WBA world champion, who currently belongs to Ukranian Viacheslav Senchenko. With Senchenko's last 3 outings having gone to decision against questionable opponents, Brook has every chance of being able to defeat the champion should a bout take place. However, first things first, he must overcome the challenge of N'Dou on Saturday, and then look forward to a potential world title fight at a later date.

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How Will Marquardt Perform As A Welterweight?

By Sheldan Keay

This Sunday night, UFC travels to Pennsylvania for another of their annual UFC on Versus events, in which the main event will be a welterweight battle featuring rising star Rick Story and former middleweight contender Nate Marquardt, who will be making his debut at 170 pounds. Many questions have been asked regarding this bout, perhaps the most frequent being how will Marquardt perform as a welterweight?

Many were shocked when following his March victory over Dan Miller, Nate Marquardt announced he was dropping from middleweight to welterweight. After competing at 185 pounds throughout his career, Marquardt announced that he decided to make the switch after a long discussion with fellow team mate and current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. A planned bout with Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson was scrapped after Johnson became injured in training, and Rick Story stepped in on just over two weeks notice. 

 Story is riding high following a unanimous decision victory over former welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves at UFC 130, and many are backing Story to be the future of the welterweight division. Story’s strengths lie with his wrestling ability, and Marquardt has shown in the past to have difficulty in this area, most notably against Chael Sonnen at UFC 109. But Marquardt will have a height and reach advantage over Story, something he rarely had over his opponents at Middleweight, and this could help to give Marquardt the distance he requires to try and frustrate Story when he is expected to look for the takedown. The big factor in this fight is how Marquardt will cope with the weight cut, as previously mentioned, this is the first time Marquardt has competed outside of the 185 pound division, and if he is left drained from the cut, it could be an easy night for Story.

Also on the card, heavyweight’s Pat Barry and Cheick Kongo clash in the night’s co-main event. Barry is coming off the back of a win over Joey Beltran in January, and a win over Kongo would arguably be the biggest of his career, and may see him recognised as one of UFC’s top ten heavyweights. Kongo returns to the cage after a 8 month absence, following a lack lustre draw against Travis Browne at UFC 120. With both men’s specialities lying in Kickboxing, this fight has the ingredients to be a stand up war, but as we have recently seen in other high profile heavyweight bouts, (Junior dos Santos VS Shane Carwin and Alistair Overeem VS Fabricio Werdum) that isn’t always the case. 

 Albeit minor, Kongo does have a wrestling background and could look to take Barry down in this fight as that has been where Barry has looked most vulnerable in the past. However, Barry now trains at DeathClutch along with Brock Lesnar, and there is no doubt that Barry would have picked up some wrestling tips along the way. Perhaps the biggest factor in this fight will be Kongo’s height and reach advantage over Barry, With Kongo having a 5 inch height advantage, and close to a 8 inch reach advantage. If Kongo is able to stay on the back foot and utilise a jab to keep Barry at bay, this could be the best game plan that Kongo could strategise in order to earn him the victory, however Barry has shown in some of his previous UFC outings against Dan Eversen and Antoni Hardonk that he can use punishing leg kicks to cancel out any size advantage his opponent may have. Either way, this fight will be an interesting one.

Rounding up the main card is a welterweight battle between Matt Brown and John Howard. Brown was pulled from his planned under card bout with Rich Attonito and replaced Martin Kampmann following his withdrawal through injury. Both men are known for liking to stand and trade, and this bout shouldn’t be any different, it certainly shouldn’t disappoint. 

The final bout featured on the main card is a Heavyweight clash between Matt Mitrione and Christian Morecraft. Mitrione is on a four fight win streak and has continued to impress since appearing on The Ultimate Fighter in 2009, and will look to continue his good run of form against the talented Morecraft. Morecraft is also coming off the back of a win, following his submission win over Sean McCorkle in April. Both men have shown that they have heavy hands, and this fight should be another that will provide fireworks.

Other notable fights that feature on the card include Tyson Griffin and Joe Stevenson making their featherweight debuts, against WEC veterans Manvel Gamburyan and Javier Vasquez respectfully. Lightweight Joe Lauzon returns to the cage for his first fight since his loss to George Sotiropoulos in November, and will face Englishman Curt Warburton. Highly touted prospect Charles Oliveira looks to bounce back to his December loss over top lightweight contender Jim Miller, as he faces off against NCAA Division 1 wrestling Nik Lentz, and lightweight Michael Johnson makes his UFC debut following his stint on The Ultimate Fighter in 2010, as he faces WEC veteran Edward Faaloloto who is also making his UFC debut. This card is stacked from top to bottom, and all in all should feature a good night of fights. 

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Can Matthew Macklin Shock The World?

By Sheldan Keay

 

This Saturday night, Matthew Macklin has the opportunity to become the sixth British fighter to currently hold a world title as he fights for the WBA World Middleweight Title, but if he is to do so he must overcome the talented German Felix Sturm in the German’s hometown of Cologne.

Sturm who is widely regarded as one of the top two middleweights in the world along with Argentinean Sergio Martinez, has held the title for over 4 years, but has gained criticism for the level of opponent he has faced in his last couple of fights, Macklin will stop this trend. The Birmingham man goes into this fight on the back of eleven straight wins since his fight of the year candidate against Jamie Moore in 2006. A string of impressive wins has seen him capture the European Middleweight title, and while he enters the fight with Sturm as an underdog, many involved in the Sport believe that Macklin can cause the upset.

Sturm comes into this fight as the much more technical boxer, and if Macklin is to stand a chance of beating the German he may have to look to finish this fight inside the distance in order to win the belt, something he may find difficult as Sturm has only been stopped once in 38 fights. Although, as previously mentioned, Macklin possesses a much higher calibre of opponent than what Sturm has recently faced, and with 19 of Macklin’s 28 victories coming by way of stoppage, if he does land a big shot on Sturm then it could be curtains for the German.

However, this fight will also be a big step up for Macklin, who returns to the ring for the first time since last December, and competes in his first ever fight in mainland Europe. After 3 stoppages in his last 4 fights, a lack lustre performance against Ruben Varon earned Macklin his critics, but he believes that he has what it takes to earn himself his first world title. Speaking of Sturm, Macklin said “"I think that there is just a chance that he has taken me a bit lightly and that will be perfect on the night. I'm prepared for the fight of my life and I'll have to produce my best performance ever. He probably thinks that I'm an easy touch.”

If Macklin is able to defeat the German, a unification bout with fellow Englishman Darren Barker may be possible for next year, as Barker is widely expected to face Sergio Martinez in October. If that bout is to culminate, it could lead to the same sort of buzz that was created during the rivarly between Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn in the 1990's. But first things first, Macklin must overcome Sturm on Saturday, and I do believe that he can defeat the German to claim his maiden world title, and indeed shock the world.

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Can Manchester United’s Youth Step Up If They Don’t Sign A Centre Midfielder?

By Sheldan Keay

This Summer, Manchester United have been linked with a huge list of midfielders, including the likes of Tottenham’s Luka Modric and Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder, but with United already set to have spent over £50 million this season following the expected signings of David De Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young, another signing may not be possible. With this being the case, could the youth of Manchester United step up to the plate in their quest to clinch more silverware next season. 

Following the retirement of Paul Scholes, it was widely expected United would sign a centre midfielder to help fill the void that has been left due to the legend’s exit, but if this was not to be the case, could those who have helped Manchester United’s youth team clinch the Youth Cup be the ones to step up and take the place that Scholes once commanded? I think it could be very possible. Manchester United proved this past season that they have one of the best youth academy’s in the world, after their dominant performances in the Youth Cup earned them the honour of being the first team to the win the Cup 10 times, following a 6-3 aggregate win over Sheffield United.

Several players impressed, most notably Ravel Morrison, who finished his season by scoring two goals in the home leg in front of the Old Trafford faithful. The impressive display by Morrison has not gone unnoticed, and has led to him recently earning his first cap for England’s U18 side. It is no surprise that his  performances have led to him being touted as one of England’s best prospects, but he is not the only English talent that Manchester United currently possesses. While Ravel Morrison provides the attacking midfield threat for the youth team, it is another Englishman that provides the defensive side, Ryan Tunnicliffe. 

With the ability to play as either a defender or a midfielder, Tunnicliffe offers United something they have craved over the past few seasons when injuries have left them short of defenders and forced to play the likes of Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick in order to complete a make shift back four. Tunnicliffe has had a phenomenal season for United, one that was capped off with him earning the status of being Manchester United Academy player of the year. It is obvious that the decision to award Tunnicliffe as the player of the year would have been a hard choice, simply due to the hard work and commitment displayed by the majority of United’s youth players this season, including talented Frenchman Paul Pogba. After a slow start, Pogba reached his peak during the culmination of United’s cup campaign, which included a string of impressive outings in the latter rounds of the cup. Pogba has proven time and time again that he has a keen eye for goal, something that would be crucial if he was to make the switch to the senior squad, in fact any of the three mentioned players have shown that they have the skill and ability to be able to fit in perfectly to United’s current side. The only question mark would potentially be whether or not it would come too soon for these youngsters.

There is no denying that the lifestyle of a footballer is an extravagant one, and usually one that results in them making several mistakes off the field, as shown in the problems Ravel Morrison has experienced in the past during his time in court over allegations of witness intimidation. If these players were to be featured regularly in the senior squad, it would result in them being a much more common figure in the public eye, and it is unknown as to whether or not they would be able to cope with the added pressure at such a tender age. Sir Alex has shown in the past that he likes to ease in his young players through a mixture of loan spells and league cup games, and it is likely that he would follow the same structure with this current crop of players. However it has been proven by other top Premier League clubs that age should not come into consideration when debating the ability of a player, most notably visible during Jack Wilshere’s successful season at Arsenal, which culminated in him earning the PFA young player of the year. With the amount of experienced players that United currently possesses, this would help to allow this set of fresh faced youngsters to settle down at United with the guidance of those who have previously been in their position. 

If United do indeed not sign a centre midfielder during this transfer window, then I believe that these players have the potential to initially be a great squad addition there to step in if the likes of Fletcher and Carrick among others are unable to play, but as the season advances and they gain the experience they require, I fully expect to see these players knocking on the door of a first team start to help United in their hopes of clinching not only a twentieth Premier league title, but also their quest in obtaining both domestic and European cup glory. This set of players have been widely tipped as being the most successful crop of United’s youngsters since the famous class of 92, and I personally expect to see them burst onto the world stage with the same brilliance that was once displayed by the likes of Giggs, Scholes, Beckham during their rise through the United ranks. 

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Can Andy Murray Win At Wimbledon?

By Sheldan Keay

  

After a shaky start, Andy Murray reeled off 15 straight games to beat Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver 4-6 6-3 6-0 6-0 and advance to the second round of Wimbledon. Over the last few years, the nation's hopes of a British player winning Wimbledon have rested on Murray’s shoulders, and this year more than ever could see those hopes become a reality. There is no doubt that Murray has a huge task ahead of him if he is to be the first British player to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry won the title in 1936, due to the mass of star names that surround him in the draw. Most notably the trio of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. 

Coming off the back of his sixth French Open title, Rafael Nadal returns to Wimbledon as the defending champion, and also got his campaign off to a successful start on Monday. The prospect of a Nadal-Murray semi-final is a possibility if both men get to that stage, and while Nadal would be the favourite, his failure to impress at Queen’s may allow Murray to overcome the world number one, that of course being if both men reach that stage. Perhaps the member of the top four that is floating under the radar is Novak Djokovic. While his 43 match winning streak may be over, he is producing arguably the best tennis of his life, and after capturing the Australian Open in January, will be hoping to add a maiden Wimbledon crown to his ever increasing trophy cabinet. While Djokovic avoids top seed Rafael Nadal on his route to the final, he instead may face the man who ended his unbelievable streak, Roger Federer. A clash between Djokovic and Federer is possible for the semi-finals, and after a disappointing Wimbledon last year, Federer has shown an improvement in his game as of late to show signs that he is returning to the form that earned him a record breaking 16 grand slam titles. Federer is 30 in August, and has dropped to number three in the world rankings, but a win at Wimbledon would restore him to world number one, a position he held for a record breaking 237 consecutive weeks. 

 What all three of these men have that Andy Murray does not have, is the experience of winning a grand slam title in the past, something that Murray drastically wants to change. Murray’s form in grand slams has been extraordinary as of late, reaching two semi-finals and two finals in his last six grand slams shows the level that his game is currently at, and after a slight slump following the Australian Open, Murray bounced back to win Queen’s earlier this month. If Murray continues to show the form that earned him his first Queen’s title, then he has as much of a chance as any of the other top seeds of winning Wimbledon. 

There is no doubt that Murray’s biggest challenge will be overcoming Nadal if both men reach the semi-finals, however Murray should not overlook anybody else in the draw, as we have seen in the past that the likes of Andy Roddick, Tomas Berdych and Robin Soldering gatecrash a grand slam final, and with former grand slam champions like Juan Martin Del Potro and Lleyton Hewit also in the draw, there are several players who could halter Murray’s quest for a grand slam title. Nonetheless, Murray is the clear home favourite, and appears to be more motivated than ever before in his efforts to capture a Wimbledon title, and with all the build up and hype surrounding this years tournament, could it be Murray’s year?

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Can Tom Cleverley Replace Paul Scholes?

By Sheldan Keay

Following the retirement of Paul Scholes, a huge void has been left in the centre of Manchester United’s midfield, one that Scholes commanded for 17 years. The likes of Wesley Sneijder and Luka Modric have been rumoured to be possibilities to fill this gap, but Sir Alex can take pleasure in the fact he has a team full of talented young players who will be eager to prove themselves to be worthy of a role in the first team, especially Tom Cleverley. After a successful season on loan at Wigan, Cleverley looks set to return to Man United in order to help them in their efforts to bring back more silverware to Old Trafford in the upcoming years, and I for one think that he has the potential to be the man to pick up where Scholes brilliantly left off.

Cleverley has often been compared to Scholes, and offers a lot of the same credentials as the United legend, due to his ability to command the game with his excellent passing ability, and also his desire to get forward and score goals. The good form that Cleverley has displayed throughout the season has not gone unnoticed, as he has become a commanding figure in England’s attempts to win the Under 21 European Championships.  

 At 21 years old, Cleverley has the world at his feet, and has been tipped by many to be the man to replace Scholes, most notably by Wigan Athletic first team coach Graham Barrow, who believes Sir Alex should look no further than the United youngster when deciding who should be the one to replace Scholes. Cleverley responded to Barrow’s comments, and stated that he hopes to be a recurring figure in United’s team next season. “If I can fill a bit of the hole Scholes has left then that would be brilliant. I spoke to Sir Alex and he said he wants me in the team next season, and I am sure we will chat again over the summer about what his plans are for me." 

Cleverley played his last game for United during their pre-season tour of America last season, where he was met with rave reviews for the great performances he put in, which included scoring two goals during the tour. Cleverley expects to be part of United’s next trip to America once he returns from England duty, and again hopes to impress Sir Alex. “I will go on the tour of America in July, looking to make an impact and work my way into the United team. I'm just thinking about having a good season at United - but that has to start with a good summer first." One thing is for sure, whether it be this season, or in the seasons to come, Tom Cleverley will be an ever present in United’s team, and has the potential to go on to become one of the best players to grace United’s midfield in recent history. 

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