Cleverley joins Everton and gets called back into England squad on same day
Everton new-boy Tom Cleverley enjoyed a memorable 24 hours on Friday as the midfielder sealed his move to Goodison Park and ended his international exile with a late call-up to the England squad.
With Tottenham Hotspur’s Ryan Mason sidelined due to a knee injury sustained while training with his international team-mates this week, England manager Roy Hodgson opted to bring Cleverley in from the cold.
The 25-year-old, who was on loan at Aston Villa last season from Manchester United, has not played for England since November 2013, but will hope that changes in the forthcoming matches against the Republic of Ireland and Slovenia.
He featured in the first nine matches under Hodgson after Euro 2012, but lost his place following a dip in form for United and didn’t feature in the squad for last year’s World Cup.
Cleverley’s call-up came at a busy time for the midfielder, who signed a five-year deal with Everton on Friday after rejecting an offer from Villa following his release by United at the end of the season.
Everton manager Roberto Martinez was happy to lure Cleverley to Goodison after previously working with him during a loan spell at Wigan Athletic.
“We are extremely delighted to be welcoming Tom to Everton and I can think of many reasons as to why our fans will enjoy Tom representing our football club,” Martinez told Everton’s website.
“The most important one is that he is a perfect fit for what we are trying to build here as he has so much experience of playing in the Premier League and he still has his best years just ahead of him.
“At the age of 25 and a player who is representing his country, Tom has experienced winning trophies and having big roles in demanding teams.
“Having worked with him previously, I know the type of character he is and I know that, with the Everton fans’ support, we will get a very special footballer joining our already exciting team.”
Cleverley now stands a chance of earning his 14th cap in Sunday’s friendly against the Republic or the Euro 2016 qualifier in Slovenia seven days later.