Young & Cleverley Improving Aided by Respect Shown to United

Manchester United have hit the ground running in the Premier League this year as they look to successfully retain their title, and what would be their 20th top-flight league success. Sir Alex Ferguson has been the heartbeat of said success and strengthened this summer, focusing on young, predominantly English talent- investing in some and handing chances to others returning from loan spells.

Two of the Scotsman's key players this season are embarking upon their debut season for the club and have made the transition from their former respective teams to the best in the league with consummate ease.

While Wayne Rooney has stolen the headlines for his fantastic goalscoring exploits at the start of the season, Ashley Young and Tom Cleverley have bedded themselves into the United first team in effortless fashion. Although both face stiff competition, neither looks likely to give up the shirt without a fight and both have made significant strides to establish themselves as early season regulars at Old Trafford.

Young & Improving

Ashley Young is a well-known name to English fans following a highly successful 5-year stint at Aston Villa. Signing for close to £10m from Watford as a mere 21-year-old and predominantly a centre forward, Young has worked tirelessly at this game to become a more all-round versatile player, targeted by clubs in the Premier League from early on in his career.

In fact, in Young's first full season for Villa he was named the PFA Young Player of the Year, making him a key threat for the club from a left-sided position. Teams began to double up on Young and although he consistently repeated excellent team-high statistics for Villa, it could be argued that his threat was one that became too familiar to opposition defences.

In turn Gerard Houllier opted to play the attacker in the free-role behind a lone striker last season, which England manager Fabio Capello has claimed is his best position. Ferguson will have been encouraged to see Young afforded the chance to build up an understanding with Wayne Rooney in the international set-up, something that he has carried into the new season.

Playing 34 times for Villa last season, Young again proved to be the side's chief creator with 10 assists and 2.3 key passes per game. With Rooney having mastered the support striker role at United, Young has been deployed in a familiar left-sided role for his club and is already improving upon his figures from last term. 4 assists in just 3 games show a marked improvement from an already impressive tally, while 3 key passes a match is also an increase.

As a 25-year-old last season, Young netted 7 times, though only 2 came from open play despite 2.1 shots per game. This season he equalled that tally from open play in one game with stunning strikes against the team he supported as a boy, Arsenal, and has upped an already ambitious attempt rate with 2.7 shots a match.

Undoubtedly his most noticeable progression has been in his distribution. A pass accuracy of just 72% last season will have worried United fans but an excellent 87% accuracy already this term is a tremendous improvement. Somewhat remarkably Young only completed 0.5 dribbles per game last season from a central position, a figure he has already more than doubled at United with 1.3.

Young's exceptional pass accuracy comes despite a much-increased involvement for United, making 46 passes per game compared to 33.6 at Villa last term. Despite playing from a wider position, Young has attempted less than half the number of crosses for his new club with just 1 to 2.2 from last year, indicative of United's playing style and hesitancy to play the long direct ball. This assumption is backed up by the fact that the 26-year-old has also completed just 1 long ball per game this season compared to 2.1 last.

The one area in which Young may need to improve is his tendency to concede possession. Having already been dispossessed an average of 1.6 games per game last season; the England international has lost possession 2 times a match for United. Surprisingly, having been fouled more times than any other player last term (2.8 per game), Young's threat has seen him targeted even more at the start of this campaign, drawing 3.3 fouls a match. A competitive character on and off the pitch, Young is often in dispute with referees and may need to curtail this trait in the future, having picked up 2 yellow cards already this season compared to a high 8 last year.

Cleverley Done

Tom Cleverley is undoubtedly a lesser-known entity worldwide but is catching the eye this season, significantly so to have started all three of United's league matches thus far. A loan spell at Wigan was certainly advantageous for both the player and the two clubs involved, but few would have predicted his outstanding progression this season.

After a fantastic pre-season for the club, Cleverley was aided somewhat by injuries to the likes of Carrick and Fletcher but he, alongside Anderson in midfield, has not looked back. Coming on at half time in the Community Shield comeback over City, Cleverley was heavily involved in one of the greatest team moves you will see which eventually saw Nani convert United's opener. An instant call-up to the England squad followed, though the game against Holland was later postponed, and a starting berth in the Champions' opener against West Brom was his reward.

Cleverley's ability to keep the ball has always been an asset to his game, picking up an impressive 82% pass accuracy as a 21-year-old for Wigan last year. In his 25 appearances he picked up 2 assists from a figure of 1 key pass per game. This season the youngster’s distribution has been near perfect. An outstanding 91% completion rate is a figure you would associate with the likes of Xavi and Iniesta and is testament to the confidence and ability of the man. 1 assist already this term, despite making fewer key passes per game at just 0.7, is also reason for optimism.

Playing in a more advanced role for Wigan than the one he is accustomed to thus far at United, Cleverley helped the Latics' cause with 3 goals last season, attempting 1.2 shots per game. The midfielder is yet to register this season but it is still very early days and he has attempted fewer shots so far with just 1 per game. Despite his considerable defensive duties in the United set-up, Cleverley has completed 1 successful dribble per game and proven his ability on the ball, up on a figure of 0.6 from last term.

His supreme distribution is made all the more impressive by the fact that his involvement in play has increased tenfold. Despite still being only 22, Cleverley has made more passes per game than any other United player with 54, remarkable when you consider that he was involved half as much, making just 25.4 passes per game for Wigan. His accuracy has also improved despite showing an impressive range of passing which has seen him complete more long balls (1.7 to 0.6) and more crosses (0.7 to 0.4) for United this time around.

Increasingly assured and efficient in possession, Cleverley has been dispossessed just twice this season (0.7 per game) compared to a rate of 1.7 per game last season, all despite his aforementioned rocketing involvement in play. Defensively he put in a great shift for Wigan last year, making 1.9 tackles per game- a figure that has again improved at United, just marginally with 2 per match- while his figure of 1 interception a game has continued into the new campaign.

"Things Can Only Get Better" - D:Ream (1993)

The obvious improvements in the duo can of course be attributed to the free-flowing style of football encouraged at United and the enhanced respect shown to the side, but the early signings are unquestionably promising. Young is now established as a regular in the international fold and will be up there with Rooney amongst the first names on the teamsheet, and if Cleverley continues to blossom in the red of united, he may not be far behind.