Tom Cleverley lifts lid on "class" Sir Alex Ferguson gesture amid Man Utd worries

As part of the last Manchester United squad to win the title, Tom Cleverley is surprised more members of Old Trafford's class of 2013 have not become managers

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Soon enough, in his first job as a head coach, Tom Cleverley will need to channel his inner tyrant.

Whether it’s dropping a fireproof player, fining slackers for being late or cracking down on unauthorised boozing, Cleverley is in the lions’ den now - an industry where 50 per cent of first-time managers who are sacked never get another chance. There are plenty of bosses who are nice guys like Cleverley. But the best ones are usually also ruthless and autocratic - like his mentor Sir Alex Ferguson.

When Watford ’s rookie head coach jumped aboard the managerial carousel at Under-18 level last year, after his playing career was cut short by injury, Fergie was first on the phone to offer him advice.

“It shows his class,” said Cleverley. “That was when I took the job in the academy and went ‘to the other side.’ He had some good advice for me - one piece away from the pitch and one piece on the pitch - a couple of punchy tips I try to implement on a daily basis. I’ve had a lot of good advice from ex-coaches and managers, but that phone call from the master sticks with me.”

Good old Fergie - when he sent Cleverley on loan to Watford as a callow 20-year-old in 2009, the Hornets could not afford Manchester United ’s £300,000 fee.

When Watford boss Malky Mackay - whose father had played with Ferguson at Queen’s Park back in the 1950s - pleaded poverty, Sir Alex replied: “Give us what you can now, and we’ll worry about the rest later.” Cleverley’s 11 goals and five assists that season kept Watford safe from the relegation trapdoor.

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As a return favour, when Ferguson asked if United could ‘borrow’ the Hornets’ training ground on their way to an assignment in London, Mackay made sure there was a slice of his favourite Genoa cake waiting for him. When they left, the dressing room was spotless. “You could have eaten your dinner off the floor, said Mackay. “Those standards all stemmed from the manager - respect comes from the top.”

Cleverley, who returned to Watford as their own player eight years later, is still driven by Ferguson’s standards, but he is surprised that fewer members of United’s last title-winning squad in 2013 have not followed him on to the managers’ hamster wheel. Apart from Robin van Persie, now in charge of Heerenveen in Holland, only Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough is currently calling the shots on the front line.

“There’s a couple still playing,” said Cleverley. “Ashley Young and Danny Welbeck are still going strong. So are Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling.

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“When you think of Michael Carrick, you just think class – as a player, as a person, as a coach. When he spoke, the room listened and I have massive, massive respect for him. When we played together in United’s midfield, in possession he did all the work for me – but out of possession I might have shaded it!

“I think Phil Jones is going down the coaching route, but it’s quite a media-heavy squad I suppose, with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Patrice Evra.”

Wayne Rooney ’s managerial career has yet to take off despite stints at Derby, DC United and his “no-fear football” calamity at Birmingham. The former England captain will be on the BBC ’s no-cushions sofa at Euro 2024 this summer. Another one of Fergie’s Pundits - but he is about to hop back aboard the carousel at Plymouth.

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“There’s a couple in there I was quite surprised about but they all have their own set of circumstances and I’m happy with the route I’ve gone down,” admitted Cleverley who, at 34, is now the second-youngest manager in the League behind Sheffield Wednesday’s Danny Rohl.

Cleverley may not be hiding behind the sofa, like United royalty Gary Neville, when the all-Manchester FA Cup final 2.0 kicks off, but he is also brutally honest about his old club’s decline. Speaking before he was handed the Watford job, he didn’t mince his words on United’s 11 barren years since he was part of Fergie’s last title-winning dynasty.

“I like to be optimistic, but you also have to be realistic, and I don’t think they have ever been further away, to be honest,” said Cleverley. At times you have to look in the mirror and ask if you are doing things right. I hope I’m wrong, but [restoring United to the top of the pile] is a massive task.”

There you go - maybe Cleverley is ruthless enough for this management lark after all.

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