Former Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverly recently admitted that his lack of form during the 2013-14 season left him scarred. Cleverly broke into the first team during the 2012-13 season in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season at the helm of the side.
David Moyes was appointed after Ferguson retired. While Cleverly remained a regular under Moyes, he struggled for form, which took a toll on his mental health.
Speaking about the 2013-14 season, Tom Cleverly, who currently plays for Championship side Coventry, recently said on the Manchester United podcast (via Sport BIBLE):
“I’m not shy to admit that the season with David Moyes scarred me a lot. I’m not saying anything bad about David Moyes – I thought he was a great football manager. But that season, 2013/14, mentally scarred me. I lost confidence and I think when it sort of scars you for a few years, you start to doubt yourself and things like that.”
He added:
“I think on a football pitch, as I say, you need to be instinctive in everything you do. So if you’re second-thinking every decision you make, you become half the player you should be and I was doing that for a season. At the time I was playing poorly, and it was really the start of social media being toxic and I found it hard to deal with, to be honest.”
Cleverly further added:
“I didn’t help myself at times. People sort of probably got the wrong impression of me sometimes when I first burst on the scene. I had this haircut and things like that. You take a period of time finding yourself and I’d not quite done that until I was in my mid-20s.
“I think that’s the one thing maybe, and I’ll never speak bad about David Moyes like I said. But I think, I kept playing. I think the manager would have taken, Sir Alex would have taken me out of the firing line, get six weeks out of the team, get your head back, get your form back, get fit and then sort of reset.”
Tom Cleverly made 79 appearances for Manchester United, scoring five goals and providing eight assists.
Tom Cleverly admitted that he was jealous of Manchester United legend Paul Scholes
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders to ever grace the Premier League. Scholes’ passing range, coupled with his ability to control the tempo of the game, was a sight to behold.
Tom Cleverly recently claimed that he was jealous when Scholes was in full throttle at training. The midfielder said:
“I just remember the training with Scholesy and being jealous of how good he was! I’m competing with this guy who doesn’t misplace or mishit one ball. Yeah, it does wind you up some days. You think, ‘How am I going to get in this team?'”
Since leaving Manchester United, Cleverly has played for teams like Watford, Everton, and more. Paul Scholes, on the other hand, currently works as a pundit.
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