Former Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley has revealed that he wants to become a Premier League manager in the future after praising the influence of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Cleverley, who received his first-team opportunity at United under Ferguson, announced his retirement from football in the summer due to injuries.
The ex-United player permanently signed for Watford in 2017 after an initial loan spell at Vicarage Road and went on to become club captain under Rob Edwards.
However, Cleverley was reduced to only four appearances for Watford in the Championship last season due to an Achilles tendon injury and later a thigh problem.
Following his retirement from football in July, the former United star remained at Vicarage Road after taking up a role with Watford’s Under-18 side.
Cleverley’s Premier League ambitions
Cleverley took the immediate steps into the coaching world after hanging up his boots and the ex-England international is relishing his new opportunity at Watford.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the former Watford skipper revealed his “long-term” ambitions would be to become a Premier League manager.
However, Cleverley insisted that his complete focus right now is developing himself as a coach and gaining valuable first-hand experience of life in the dugout.
“Yeah, that’s my long-term goal [to become a Premier League manager],” he said.
“As a player, you set your standards high and that’ll be no different as a coach.
“Right now, I’m taking it day by day, learning every day, made a decent start to life as an under-18s coach and I feel like I’ve got the experience from playing, but you have to — have to — put the hours in as a coach.”
Cleverley on Ferguson’s impact at United
Cleverley initially appeared to be the anointed heir to Paul Scholes under Ferguson, who paved the way for the former Watford star’s place in the United midfield.
Ferguson frequently praised Cleverley for his abilities and naturally saw the ex-Three Lions international as a long-term player for the Premier League club.
But following the legendary former United boss’ retirement in 2013, Cleverley found his first-team opportunities limited under both David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
Cleverley, who lifted United’s last Premier League title in 2013, was shipped off to Aston Villa in 2014 on loan before his contract with the Red Devils expired in 2015.
Speaking on Ferguson, Cleverley believes that the 81-year-old Scotsman is the last “out-and-out manager” that football will see.
When asked about Ferguson, he said: “Yeah, fantastic. The way [in] how he managed the dressing room of superstars, of young players, of players that have won it all and kept them motivated, how he would sort of recycle teams year after year.
“He was a genius. I don’t think we’ll see an out-and-out manager of a whole football club like that again.”
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