Business of Sport Ep.10: Tom Cleverley, Former Manchester United, Everton & Watford Midfielder, 'It's a new world where players hold all the power'

Today, we are delighted to welcome Tom Cleverley. Tom is a former England, Manchester United, Everton and Watford midfielder. Tom played over 300 league games, winning the Premier League in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season with Manchester United in 2013. Having retired in the summer, Tom has taken his first steps into management, taking charge of Watford’s U18 team. 

In today’s show, we discuss:

Life as a young footballer:

• Growing up in the Manchester United academy and managing the pressures that come with elite performance and expectation at a young age.
• Tom’s experience being away from home living in ‘digs’ with other families while he trained with the youth team.
• The key attributes beyond outstanding talent that play a significant role in determining which young players make it to the first team.
• Being in and around world class players and management, and how that lifts the levels of everyone at a club.
• Motivations vs money: how to ensure you keep your focus and don’t get distracted by the outside noise that comes with being a professional.

Balancing performance, relationships, and expectations:

• What it was like to earn the opportunity to play for Manchester United and win the Premier League with Sir Alex.
• How Sir Alex shaped the teams he managed and had the ability to continually achieve unprecedented results and drive standards.
• The learnings that you pick up when developing as a player stay with you and shape the way you approach dressing rooms and in Tom’s case, management.
• What goes into getting transfers done? The process a player and their representatives go through to get a move and that factors at play in influencing decisions.
• How honest conversations with Van Gaal and Koeman ensured Tom knew when the right time to move had come.
• Playing for England: what does it mean to players who get called up and how does the team gel when together?

Beyond the pitch:

• The importance of having a great agent: how an influential team and stable support network is crucial to your off-field development.
• Managing your finances and preparing for a future beyond the game.
• Preparing for management and utilising the experiences learnt as a player to develop emerging talent.
• Tom’s love for the game and how important it is to be in a place where you feel confident in your ability to deliver results.