Depressing as most of the 2024/25 season has been for Manchester United, three of the club’s former stars have suffered even greater ignominy in the Championship.
Yesterday the news broke that former midfielder and academy graduate Tom Cleverley has been sacked by Watford for failing to guide the club to the play-offs.
The 35-year old got off to a flying start with the Hornets when he took over on an interim basis toward the end of last season, steering them up the table and earning himself the permanent job in the summer.
A promising beginning to this campaign left Cleverley looking like one of football’s best young management prospects, and Watford looking dead certs for the play-offs. However, the wheels started to come off the bus in the new year as they drifted from the play-off places to 14th following one bad result after another.
Sporting Director Gian Luca Nani said on the club’s official website: “The time has come for a change and to build on what we believe is a young and talented squad that will have benefitted from the experience of the Championship this season.
“It has been a privilege to work closely with Tom; to understand how he sees the game and his enthusiasm for everything here. He deserves to be recognised for this and I’m sure he will have a bright future in the game.”
Meanwhile even further down the Sky Bet table, there was heartbreak at the weekend for former Red Devils Teden Mengi and Tahith Chong as Luton were condemned to back-to-back relegations.
Having impressed in the Premier League last season, Mengi stayed with the Hatters, as did Chong, as they hoped to bounce straight back into the top flight under manager Rob Edwards.
The season got off to a bad start, though, and the manager was eventually replaced by Matt Bloomfield.
Bloomfield’s improvements to the side were too little and came too late. An awful campaign ended in tears at the weekend as a 5-3 loss to West Brom saw the Hatters end in the relegation zone on goal difference from Hull City.
Mengi and Chong are highly likely to move on now, with the former already linked with a move to Torino in Serie A.
Featured image Cameron Howard via Getty Images
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Red Billy
Red Billy is the managing editor of The Peoples Person, author of three books and totally obsessed with football’s transfer market. Billy still insists Matteo Darmian and Alex Telles could have made it at United given half a chance.
