Ex-Man Utd star reveals how David Moyes ‘scarred’ him for remainder of career

Former Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley has explained how David Moyes scarred him in his time at Old Trafford and left him feeling “like a failure”.

Cleverley was a key cog for United before Moyes arrived at the club but struggled under the Scot, who lasted just nine months in the hotseat.

Speaking on the UTD Podcast, Cleverley said: “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. 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.

“It was always my dream to play for Man United and, at the time, as a young lad from Bradford, I felt like a failure doing it and it’s a bit of a crazy way to think, playing for United and England. But, 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.”

Cleverley was sold to Everton after a loan spell with Aston Villa, and now plays for Watford.

Reflecting on his time with united, Cleverley has revealed that he was jealous of both Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick.

“It’s a bit of a weird dynamic isn’t it, football clubs,” he added. “Your team-mate is your first opponent for your position.

“So there are not many industries where that happens. But I just remember the training with Scholsey 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?”

“I think when you talk about careers like Carras [Carrick], because his lasted 10 years, my best year was a good year but it only lasted one year. To keep that success, drive, desire, over 10, 15 years, people like this, you can’t speak highly enough of them.

“To deal with dips in form and disappointments and just to keep coming back and they’re not only the best ability-wise, they’re the best mentality-wise.”