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Aston Villa have completed the loan signing of Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley after the Premier League ratified the transfer. - Brewin: Premier League misfits
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- Villa fail in bid to sign Canales The deal, which was announced 17 hours after the transfer window officially closed, appears likely to end the midfielder's United career as he has entered the final year of his contract at Old Trafford, although Sky Sports News reports that both parties have the option to cut the loan agreement short. Villa had to demonstrate to the Premier League that they had filed an application for the loan move and begun the process to sign Cleverley before the window closed at 11 p.m. British Summer Time on Monday. The Midlanders were able to announce the arrival of the 25-year-old, who they had initially tried to sign on a permanent deal, on Tuesday. Cleverley told Villa's official website he was excited about the prospect of working under Villa boss Paul Lambert and assistant Roy Keane. "The prospect of working under the manager and Roy, who were both fantastic midfielders in their playing careers, made the decision to come to Villa an easy one," he said. "I'm looking forward to working with them but also the other really good midfield players that the club have, like Fabian Delph, Ashley Westwood and other new lads like Kieran Richardson, Joe Cole and Carlos Sanchez." Villa are currently third in the table after taking seven points from a possible nine and Cleverley added: "I've been watching Villa games this year and it's been a really good start and, with the upcoming fixtures all big games, hopefully I can bring a bit of big-game experience and add to the squad and help us to win some games. "It's a team that plays the style of football that I like. They play with high energy, they pass and move and there are a lot of good young players. The manager told me the way that he'd like me to play and it all sat perfectly for me. I'm very happy to be coming down to play for Villa." Lambert added: "Tom brings big-game experience to the club. He's played international football for England and he still has great potential to kick on in his career. "There's a lot of good football ahead of him if he performs the way we think he can perform and we're delighted to have been able to bring him in to join the group. "Allied to the players we had brought in already during the window as well as the strong start we've made to the season, this is another good step forward and we want to continue to build on our progress into the season." United, who had received an offer of seven million pounds from Villa, were frustrated in their attempts to bring in a transfer fee for the England international. Cleverley, who also attracted interest from Everton, scored five goals in 79 appearances for United and played what looks set to be his final game for them in last month's 1-1 draw at Sunderland. He risked being left in limbo at Old Trafford after manager Louis van Gaal signed three other midfielders, in Ander Herrera, Angel Di Maria and Daley Blind. Cleverley became the eighth player to leave Old Trafford at the end of the transfer window with Danny Welbeck sold to Arsenal, Shinji Kagawa joining Borussia Dortmund and Tom Laurence signing for Leicester on permanent deals. In addition, Javier Hernandez went to Real Madrid, Wilfried Zaha to Crystal Palace, Michael Keane to Burnley and Nick Powell to Leicester on loan. Villa had already brought in centre-back Philippe Senderos, left-back Aly Cissokho and midfielders Carlos Sanchez, Kieran Richardson and Joe Cole.
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