Tom Cleverley determined to shake off ‘injury-prone’ tag at Man Utd

Tom Cleverley is determined to avoid being assigned the ‘injury-prone’ tag at Manchester United after the midfielder struggled to stay fit last season.

The 22-year-old returned to the Red Devils last summer after spending a successful season-long loan at Wigan Athletic, with a return of four goals in 25 Premier League appearances.

He picked up an ankle injury against Bolton Wanderers in September after an impressive start to the season was rewarded with a sustained run in Sir Alex Ferguson’s first-team.

The midfielder returned for United’s 1-0 win against Everton in October, but the problem flared up again, resulting in the England Under-21 international missing the next four months.

However, Cleverley, who also had loans spell at Leicester City and Watford over the past four seasons, is aiming to overcome his recent injury problems and eventually emulate United legend Ryan Giggs in terms of longevity.

“I’d hate to be getting the ‘injury-prone’ tag because the injuries I’ve had have all been contact, impact or reckless tackles. It’s not like I’m picking up hamstring injuries or thigh injuries all the time,” Cleverley told United’s website.

“Hopefully I’m getting all the bad luck out at the start of my career and I can go on to play as long as Giggs; he’s the perfect example.”

“When you’re not on the pitch you can work on other areas. I did work with video analysis, I worked hard with [strength and conditioning coach] Gary Walker in the gym on my upper body, and I did vision work too.

“It’s a fantastic training ground because you can work hard on all aspects of your game when you’re injured. Everything I could work on, I worked on. I’ve done everything I can while I’ve been out.”

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