Everton manager Roberto Martinez has declared that he and the club remain interested in signing Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley, despite a failed move for the player towards the end of the summer transfer window, as reported by the Daily Star.

Cleverley ultimately made a loan move to Aston Villa, where he will work under former Man Utd midfield great Roy Keane.

Martinez was told that the player was not available on a loan basis, despite what ultimately happened on deadline day as he made the move to the Midlands.

The Everton boss has speculated that the fact that his side are now competitors to Man Utd means that they were unwilling to sanction a deal which saw him move to Goodison Park.

Cleverley’s contract with the Old Trafford club expires at the end of the season, and with little indication that it is going to be renewed at any point soon, Martinez remains interested in his signature.

He said: “Our information was that the player wasn’t available on loan full stop. It’s the parent club that makes that decision.

“Maybe they just didn’t want to send a player on loan to a club that is going to be challenging for things and finished above them last season, I don’t know.

“But I will always be interested in Tom in terms of the experiences that I had with him. That will never change. I know the player inside-out but ten months in football is an eternity. Anything could happen in that time.”