Thousands of football fans have signed a petition calling for Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley to be banned from England’s World Cup squad this summer.

The new petition now has more than 4,000 signatures in less than 24 hours, and reads: ‘Tom Cleverley, owner of 13 England caps, has been regularly selected by Roy Hodgson in his squads without possessing any genuine qualities whatsoever.

‘We believe in the reputation of this proud footballing nation and that he should be prevented from attending this summer’s international showcase.

‘Whilst England are considered to disappoint at major tournaments, further embarrassment could be avoided by not having his inept performances undermine the rest team’s efforts.’

Much like his team-mates, Cleverley has struggled to recapture the form which saw previous manager Sir Alex Ferguson refer to him as a ‘special player’.

Cleverley has notched up just one goal in 32 games for the club, and has been subjected to much criticism by fans, particularly on Twitter.

He recently spoke out about such criticism, claiming he has been made the ‘scapegoat’ of a struggling side.

Despite the scathing criticism, the 24-year-old was still selected by England manager Hodgson on Thursday to face Denmark in a friendly next week, and still has a strong chance of making it to Brazil in the summer.

—Daily Mail