Tom Cleverley

Biography

Thomas William Cleverley (born 12 August 1989) is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently the head coach of EFL League One 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 joined the club permanently in July of that year. During his time with the club, he totalled 146 appearances for the club up to his retirement in July 2023. Having represented England at under-20 and under-21 level, Cleverley played for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and later that year made his debut for the England national team. In 2014, he was named in the provisional England squad for the 2014 International Football Cup, but was omitted from the final list. He began his coaching career at his final professional club, Watford, in March 2024, before getting dismissed and appointed as manager of Plymouth Argyle in June 2025.