Tom Cleverley, a former midfielder for Manchester United, has announced his retirement from the sport of soccer at the age of 33, citing ongoing ailments as his reason.
The former England international served as captain of Watford, which he joined on loan from Manchester United for the 2009–10 season. Watford competes in the English Championship.
After first moving to Watford from Everton on loan for the second time and then making the switch permanent in 2017, Cleverley played at Watford for six and a half years, during which time he made 181 appearances, scored 19 goals, and tallied 15 assists. He made the transfer permanent in 2017.
His health issues forced him to miss 29 games during the previous campaign for Watford, which resulted in the club finishing 11th in the Championship rankings.
Before suffering an injury to his thigh in February, Cleverley had surgery on an Achilles ailment that had sidelined him for a considerable amount of time at the beginning of the previous season.
“Beginning today, I will no longer participate in the sport of football in any capacity,” I will say. In a statement released on Saturday, the former champion of the Premier League acknowledged that the previous year had been “extremely challenging” in terms of overcoming the challenges posed by injuries.
“Unfortunately, my body has let me down, and it simply does not have the capacity to perform any longer,” I said.
After graduating from United’s youth program, Cleverley went on to play 79 games for the Old Trafford club’s first team. After that, he went on loan to Leicester City, Watford, Wigan Athletic, Aston Villa, and Everton.
“Mustn’t forget to give a shoutout to Manchester United… The individuals and the organization that laid the groundwork for my development as a player and as a person, as well as the organization that helped me see my goals realized…
“To everyone associated with the Watford Football Club. This club has the distinct honor of serving as my residence… I will never be able to return the love that you have given to me, from the time I was a young borrower until the time that I retire as an adult.
A statement released by Watford said, “Some exciting news will soon be announced jointly by the club and Tom.”