Tom Cleverley
Thomas William Cleverley is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently the head coach of club Plymouth Argyle.
After starting his career in the youth set-up at Bradford City, Cleverley joined Manchester United at the age of 12. He was loaned to League One club Leicester City at the start of 2009, helping the team win promotion as champions. He spent the 2009–10 season on loan with Watford in the Championship, where he scored 11 goals in 33 league matches and was voted as their Player of the Season. In August 2010, he joined Wigan Athletic on a season-long loan, where he scored four goals in 25 appearances and helped them to avoid relegation on the final day of the season. He returned to Manchester United for the start of the 2011–12 season and made his first competitive appearance as they won the FA Community Shield. He won the Premier League with Manchester United in 2013. After a loan to Aston Villa in 2014–15, his United contract expired and he signed for Everton. He moved to Watford in January 2017, initially on loan, and totalled 146 appearances for the club up to his retirement in July 2023.
Cleverley played for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and later that year made his debut for the England national team.
He began his coaching career at his final club, Watford, before taking over as manager of Plymouth Argyle.
Club career
Early career
Cleverley was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire, but grew up in Bradford, West Yorkshire. He went to Hanson School. He was part of Bradford City's youth set-up, but joined Manchester United as an 11-year-old trainee in July 2000.During the 2005–06 season, he made nine appearances for the under-18 team. He also received a taste of reserve team football when he was named on the bench for the team's 4–1 away win over Everton on 21 February 2006. His first appearance for the reserves came in a 0–0 away draw to Bolton Wanderers almost a year later, on 15 February 2007, by which time he had become a regular in the under-18 team. However, just over a month later, he suffered a long-term injury and was ruled out for seven months.
He returned to action in October 2007, playing for the reserves in a 1–1 home draw with Liverpool. The 2007–08 season marked Cleverley's emergence as a regular in the Manchester United reserve team, making 21 appearances as the team went on to win both the Manchester Senior Cup and the Lancashire Senior Cup, in which he scored in the final against Liverpool. He also scored his first goals in a Manchester United shirt on 23 January 2008, when he scored both of United's goals in a 2–0 away win over Bolton Wanderers in the Premier Reserve League. His consistent performances for the reserves earned him the captaincy of the team in the absence of regular captain Sam Hewson, as well as a nomination for the Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year award – he lost out to Richard Eckersley.
In recognition of his performances for the reserves, on 24 July 2008, Cleverley was called up to the Manchester United first team for the remainder of their tour of South Africa and the match against Portsmouth in Nigeria. He made his first-team debut against Kaizer Chiefs in the final of the 2008 Vodacom Challenge, coming on in place of Rodrigo Possebon at half-time, before he scored the third of United's four goals just after the hour mark.
He returned to regular reserve team duty for the 2008–09 season, but was given a first-team squad number – 35 – when the first-team squad list was announced on 15 August 2008, and was named on the bench for United's League Cup matches against Middlesbrough and Queens Park Rangers.
Loan spells
Leicester City
On 16 January 2009, Cleverley joined Leicester City on loan for the remainder of the 2008–09 season and was given the number 7 shirt.He made his debut on 19 January 2009 in a 2–0 away win over Yeovil Town, coming on as an 85th-minute substitute for Matty Fryatt. Cleverley scored his first Leicester City goal few weeks later on 3 February 2009, in a 4–1 win over Walsall. Cleverley then scored his second goal for the club on 7 March 2009, in a 4–0 win over Cheltenham Town. After two goals in 15 matches for Leicester, Cleverley's loan spell came to a premature end after he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against Colchester United. He then returned to Manchester United for treatment and underwent surgery on his shoulder on 2 April 2009. Although his loan had ended, Cleverley was presented with a medal on 24 April after Leicester secured their promotion as champions of League One.
Towards the end of the season, along with James Chester and Corry Evans, Cleverley was nominated by Manchester United reserve team manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær for the Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year award.
Watford
After being featured and scoring in the pre–season friendly against Valencia, Cleverley was told by Alex Ferguson that he would be loaned out to gain further first-team experience. On 18 August 2009, Cleverley signed for Watford on loan and was able to play in their match away to Nottingham Forest that evening. He started the match and was booked within four minutes of the start of the second half, but then sealed a 4–2 win with a goal in the second minute of injury time at the end of the match.He then scored another goal on his home debut four days later, scoring Watford's second goal in a 2–2 draw with Blackpool, and became Watford's joint-top scorer with the second goal in a 2–0 win over Preston North End in November. Shortly afterwards, he extended his loan deal at Watford until the end of the 2009–10 season.
Cleverley scored a further five goals in 20 appearances for Watford before a knee ligament injury in April 2010 ended his season prematurely. He went on to win the team's Player of the Season award.
Wigan Athletic
On 1 July 2010, Cleverley signed a new contract with the club, keeping him until 2013. Cleverley returned to Manchester United for the beginning of the 2010–11 season and travelled with the squad for their pre-season tour of North America in July 2010. He came on as a substitute for Ryan Giggs at half-time in the first match of the tour against Celtic in Toronto and scored United's third goal in a 3–1 win. He then netted his second of the tour on 28 July 2010, scoring United's fourth in their 5–2 win in the 2010 MLS All-Star Game; he controlled Darren Fletcher's flick into the box before lifting the ball over Wilman Conde's head and side-footing it past Nick Rimando.On 31 August 2010, Wigan Athletic confirmed they had agreed a season-long loan deal for Cleverley, with Manchester United retaining the option to recall the player from his loan spell in January.
On 11 September 2010, Cleverley made his debut for Wigan which was also his Premier League debut, replacing Mauro Boselli in the 75th minute and assisting Antolín Alcaraz in a 1–1 home draw against Sunderland. However, Cleverley suffered a knock, resulting a knee injury in training and was sidelined for weeks. Cleverley then made his first-team return on 16 October 2010, coming on as a substitute for Ronnie Stam in the 79th minute, in a 2–2 draw against Newcastle United. On 27 November, he scored his first goal for the club, also his first ever Premier League goal, in a 3–1 defeat away to West Ham United. Seven days later he scored his second for Wigan and first home goal in a 2–2 draw against Stoke City. However, following a Dubious Goals Panel ruling, this goal was taken away from Cleverley and credited as a Rory Delap own goal.
On 31 January 2011, Manchester United agreed to let Cleverley stay on loan at Wigan until the end of the season. Cleverley scored the decisive goal in a 2–1 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers which lifted Wigan out of the relegation zone. However, Cleverley suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for a month. Cleverley then made his return from the first team on 5 February 2011, where he came on as a substitute for Victor Moses in the 67th minute, in a 4–3 win over Blackburn Rovers. After making return to the first team, Cleverley then scored and set up one of the goal, which turned out to be a winning goal, in a 2–1 win over Birmingham City on 19 March 2011.
Cleverley was one of Wigan's stand-out performers and ended the season with three goals and two assists in 25 league appearances.
Return to Manchester United
2011–12 season
' retirement before the 2011–12 season left an opening in Manchester United's central midfield. Cleverley was identified by manager Alex Ferguson as a potential homegrown replacement for Scholes.Cleverley was praised by Ferguson after playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 victory over Barcelona in a pre-season friendly. Ferguson said that Cleverley was United's "best player" against Barcelona and he indicated that there is a strong possibility that he could be among the starting 11 in the opening fixture of the 2011–12 Premier League season against West Bromwich Albion. Cleverley made his competitive debut for United in the 3–2 comeback win over derby rivals Manchester City in the 2011 FA Community Shield. He came on as a second-half substitute for Michael Carrick after United went 2–0 down at half time and provided the assist for Nani's equaliser.
He started his first Premier League match for Manchester United on 14 August 2011, playing the full 90 minutes away to West Bromwich Albion in the first match of the 2011–12 season. After impressing in his opening match, Cleverley started Manchester United's second match of the campaign against Tottenham Hotspur on 22 August, getting an assist in the process. He played the full match against Arsenal on 28 August 2011, which Manchester United won 8–2. Cleverley sustained a ligament damage in his foot after being tackled heavily by Bolton's Kevin Davies in the 3rd minute of United's next match, a 5–0 away victory at Bolton Wanderers. It was later confirmed by the club that he would be sidelined for a month with the injury.
The following month in October 2011, Cleverley signed a new contract keeping him at the club until 2015. On 25 October 2011, Cleverley made his return from injury in the League Cup, a 3–0 win against Aldershot Town. He made another appearance four days later, away to Everton, where he played for 56 minutes and they went on to win 1–0. He left the field of play after 57 minutes due to an ankle injury, but his performance was later hailed by his manager, Alex Ferguson, as "outstanding". Although his injury was initially less serious than the one that kept him sidelined for weeks, Cleverley's injury had him sidelined even further until Christmas.
On 20 January 2012, Ferguson stated "I am hopeful in 10 days' time he will be training then we can kick on." Cleverley was due to return for the match at Old Trafford against Liverpool on 11 February 2012, but he was an unused substitute. He eventually returned in a UEFA Europa League 2–0 away win against Ajax at the Amsterdam Arena. However, since his return, Cleverley appeared in the first team occasionally towards the end of the season and made seventeen appearances in all competitions. Despite this, Cleverley said the season, quoting: "I've had some bad luck and now I have just got to get on with it. From a great start it became the hardest season of my life. But it has made me mentally stronger."