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Tom Cleverley is an Aston Villa man after the Premier League finally approved his transfer from Manchester United.

The 25-year-old has signed on loan until January and Villa will then have the option of making the move permanent after agreeing a fee, believed to be £8million.

United could indeed recall him in the New Year however his future at Old Trafford looks bleak with less than a year remaining on his contract.

Clerverley said: “Playing football is what matters most to me and I’m looking forward to getting back to what I know I can do.

“This is the kind of club where I can do that.

“I’ve been watching Villa games this year and it’s been a really good start and, with the upcoming fixtures all big games, hopefully I can bring a bit of big game experience and add to the squad and help us to win some games.

“It’s a team that plays the style of football that I like. They play with high energy, they pass and move and there are a lot of good young players. The manager told me the way that he’d like me to play and it all sat perfectly for me.”

Paul Lambert was desperate to add the English ace to his squad before the transfer window shut at 11pm on Monday night however the pursuit appeared to have ended.

Cleverley’s high wage demands initially priced him out of a permanent move to the Midlands and he was close to joining rivals Everton.

WATCH - Gregg Evans on Tom Cleverley and Villa's summer transfer business:

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When the move to Goodison Park collapsed, Villa went back in for the 13-capped international and managed to strike a deal late in the day.

The relevant paperwork was then submitted to the Premier League leaving Villa with an anxious wait to see if the transfer could go ahead.

Because it was already at a well-advanced stage it was given the all-clear and 17 hours after the deadline Villa eventually announced the signing.

Lambert said: “Tom brings big game experience to the club, he’s played international football for England and he still has great potential to kick on in his career.

“There’s a lot of good football ahead of him if he performs the way we think he can perform and we’re delighted to have been able to bring him in to join the group.

“Allied to the players we had brought in already during the window as well as the strong start we’ve made to the season, this is another good step forward and we want to continue to build on our progress into the season.”

Cleverley will now begin a new chapter in his life at Villa Park.

He will compete with new England man Fabian Delph, Ashley Westwood and Carlos Sanchez for a midfield role.

With Karim El-Ahmadi re-joining Feyenoord on deadline day it was important that Lambert got in a replacement and Cleverley’s arrival represents a fine bit of business.

Villa have recruited well this summer and the sixth arrival will help increase competition.

The claret and blues have strong reinforcements in all departments which is what the squad has missed in previous years.