Tom Cleverley has expressed his belief that Everton can compete for the European spots in the Premier League this season, and on a personal level, he has targetted a spot in the England squad for Euro 2016 after an injury has halted his progress.
The Englishman was stretchered off when Everton played Tottenham at White Hart Lane in August but was back on the bench for the clash against Aston Villa at the weekend.
Cleverley joined the Blues back in June and fans were divided on whether Tom was good enough for the club. However, his early season form looks to have converted some of his doubters, and he’s now seen as key memeber of the squad.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Cleverley explained:
The fixtures we have had so far and the results we’ve got from them shows there is no stopping us finishing in one of the European spots. Obviously, targets can change throughout the season but I think that is realistic for us at this point.
Tom also spoke of his belief that he would have played some part in the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign was it not for his injury troubles. The Englishman explained:
My injury did get me down, especially because I thought I was right in with a shout of [getting a call-up] during the international break after the Tottenham game.It’s been playing on my mind for 10 or 11 weeks now while I’ve been out that I could have really got back in that fold, but these things happen.
I’ve just got to get my head down now and first of all get myself back in the Everton team and play well for Everton. Hopefully the England call can come as a result of doing that.
