What happened to ex Man Utd midfielder Tom Cleverley and where is he now?
TOM CLEVERLEY is a Premier League winning midfielder who has been capped by England.
His career has taken a number of twists and turns since his Old Trafford departure in 2015, but what happened to him and where is he now?
Cleverley won the Premier League title during his time with Manchester United
Who is Tom Cleverley?
Tom Cleverley is a footballer who has previously played for Manchester United and England.
His early years as a professional were spent gaining experience at other clubs, such as Leicester and Watford, before a breakthrough year with Wigan Athletic.
He played regularly during his season with The Latics, helping them avoid relegation at the end of the 2010/11 season.
He returned to Manchester United following the retirement of Paul Scholes in the summer of 2011, making his competitive debut in a 3-2 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley.
He scored his first Manchester United goal in a 2-1 League Cup win against Newcastle in September 2012, and his first Premier League goal against the same opposition the next month.
He made 22 appearances as United won the 2012/13 Premier league title.
The next season saw a downturn in fortunes for the midfielder after the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, as The Red Devils finished 7th and missed out on European football.
Cleverley joined Aston Villa on loan in the 2014/15 season, after falling out of favour. He helped the Birmingham club to their first FA Cup final for 15 years.
However, Villa were easily beaten 4-0 by Arsenal at Wembley, in what proved to his last game for the club.
After joining Everton on a free transfer in 2015 following the expiry of his Manchester United contract, Cleverley struggled with injuries and form, and eventually re-joined Watford in January 2017.
Cleverley played 13 times for England, making his debut against Italy in 2012.
What happened to ex Man Utd midfielder Tom Cleverley?
He soon received regular playing time, and played a vital role in Watford’s midfield as they achieved safety for three consecutive seasons and reached the 2019 FA Cup final.
He played four times in the run to the final, but finished with a runner-up medal once again, with The Hornets losing 6-0 against Manchester City.
After suffering relegation in 2020, Cleverley played a key role in Watford coming straight back up.
They were again relegated in 2022, but Cleverly was named as the new captain ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Unfortunately for Cleverley, he suffered a thigh injury in the warm-up before Watford’s 1-1 draw with Burnley in February 2023.
It had already been an injury plagued season, with the Englishman only playing four times during the campaign.
Where is Tom Cleverley now?
Cleverley is expected to be out for at least eight weeks with the injury, which is a concern for Watford manager Slaven Bilic as the midfielder’s contract runs out at the end of the 2022/23 season.
It is unknown whether or not he will be offered a new contract at this point.
