Tom Cleverley will complete his move to Everton in the next 10 days, if newspaper reports are to be believed.
Various media outlets, including The Times and The Mirror, suggest that the out-of-contract midfielder has snubbed the likes of former loan club Aston Villa and Southampton in favour of a move to Merseyside.
Cleverley, 25, has agreed a five-year deal in principal and will earn a reported £50,000 a week.
The Basingstoke-born England international made 55 first-team appearances for Manchester United and was a regular target for the boo boys in a disappointing spell at the Old Trafford club, but soon-to-be manager Roberto Martinez is a known admirer of the energetic midfielder’s talents and is said to have played a key role in persuading Cleverley to move to Goodison Park.
“He can play in many positions and he is happy to be in one-v-one situations offensively and defensively, that’s where he’s got real variation,” Martínez said, in an interview with the Guardian back in 2012. “Sometimes it can be a negative to be able to play in a number of positions. Some players are a jack of all trades but not special in any of them. Tom is special in what he does, while understanding other roles within the team just as well. But if you were to ask him what is his best position, I would say central midfield. And I think Manchester United always saw him as that – even while he was here.”
“I have said it before, when he was with us, that his tactical ability is not normal for a player of his age in this country. He is someone who could easily fit into the Dutch or Spanish way of playing quite easily, such is his technical ability and awareness.”
