Football’s elite make sacrifices too – Cleverley

Sunday night’s closing ceremony brought the curtain down on a spectacular fortnight of sport that will live long in the memory.

In its wake comes the return of the national game, with all its 
attendant issues.

Even Sunday’s Community Shield failed to embrace the spirit of London 2012, with one player sent off and eight more booked as Manchester City overcame Chelsea.

Little wonder the top-flight’s star men get compared unfavourably with Bradley Wiggins, Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and company.

Cleverley, however, believes such a view is harsh and does scant justice to the work his colleagues put in to stay at the pinnacle of the highest profile sport.

“I have picked up on the feeling a little bit. Whether I agree with it, I am not too sure,” said Cleverley.

“The other athletes are unbelievably dedicated but so are footballers.

“They sacrifice a lot to be the best they can in a very competitive industry.

“I wouldn’t say either of us are more dedicated to what they do.”

Cleverley loved his Olympic experience, even though it involved sharing rooms with team-mates as opposed to living in their own space as he would in a footballing environment.

Even as his GB team-mates were gathering at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday night for the Games’ farewell, it was hard to take in that he had been part of the same event.

“It was a brilliant experience and is something I will be able to look back on,” he said.

“The whole thing was a new experience.

“It was good to see how the other athletes prepared and village life was certainly different.

“I wouldn’t say it was better or worse than we are used to, just different. But the fact we won our match at Wembley meant something worked.”

Yet it was just one part of a period in Cleverley’s life that he describes as ‘living the dream’.

He was granted four days off by Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of his Olympic odyssey.

On Saturday he embarked on a quick trip to Germany for a small role in Manchester United’s pre-season preparations and tomorrow will move on to Berne for a likely England debut against Italy.

If that was not enough, Cleverley has just celebrated his 23rd birthday.

Little wonder it is hard for him to catch his breath.

“Playing for Manchester United, Great Britain and England in one summer is quite something,” he said. “Hopefully I will win my first cap this week. That is a massive honour for any footballer and something you dream of growing up.

“It has just been an all-round good experience.”

Cleverley’s Team GB programme might have given him an advantage in terms of match fitness in a squad that yesterday lost Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to an ankle injury.

Manager Roy Hodgson had already taken the decision to draft in Joleon Lescott as cover before that news was delivered, leaving him in the slightly curious situation of calling up a defender, having lost members of his goalkeeping, midfield and forward departments.

Hodgson has the options to cope, and in Cleverley he has a player eager to make up for lost time after his dream of an international debut 12 months ago was dashed when the Holland game was called off due to the London riots, and then had his season wrecked by injury.

“I feel like that a little bit,” he said. “There is always going to be pressure playing for Manchester United and England but this is a big season for me.

“But there is a little bit extra for me this year.

“Hopefully, I will play as many games as I can and win as much silverware as possible.”

Teenage goalkeeper Jack Butland could also make his senior England debut in the friendly against Italy.

The 19-year-old Birmingham custodian may get the chance to feature tomorrow after Joe Hart was ruled out with a back injury.

England manager Hodgson opted against calling up a replacement for Hart, leaving Butland and John Ruddy as the only two remaining goalkeepers.

For a player whose only senior experience at domestic level are the 24 games he played on loan for Cheltenham in League Two last season, a full England bow would cap a remarkable rise for Butland having also played for Great Britain during the Olympics.

“Unfortunately it’s come, or hopefully will come, due to an injury which is unfortunate for Joe but if I get the chance it will be a dream come true,” Butland said.

“It’s something I can’t stop thinking about and I’d love the chance to be able to perform on that stage on Wednesday night.

“I’m not going to try and put too much pressure on myself or expect anything because there’s not a lot of goalkeepers who get the chance at such a young age so I’m very privileged to be in this position.

“I’m going to take everything in my stride. If it doesn’t happen on Wednesday I’m going to work harder to make it happen on a different occasion.”

Italy striker Mario Balotelli has been ruled out of the match against England due to an eye infection.

The Manchester City striker, one of the stars of Italy’s run to the final of Euro 2012, has been released by coach Cesare Prandelli after coming down with conjunctivitis.

The 22-year-old has been replaced in the squad for tomorrow’s match in Berne by Udinese front man Diego Fabbrini.

Prandelli told the Gazzetta dello Sport: “We were hoping (Balotelli) would recover in time, but it wasn’t to be.

“I want to give him a key role in the long term and I expect him to accept responsibility when I do.”