Argyle turn to Cleverley as new boss

Plymouth Argyle have appointed former Watford manager Tom Cleverley as their new Head Coach.

Cleverley succeeds Miron Muslic, who departed the club to take on a role in Germany with Schalke after narrowly avoiding relegation from the Sky Bet Championship.

A talented midfielder in his playing days, Cleverley moved into the Manchester United youth system at the age of 12, progressing through the ranks to eventually earn a professional deal.

He spent time on loan at Leicester City in League One and then in the Championship with Watford, where he was named the club’s Player of the Season. A further loan stint at Wigan Athletic preceded a return to Old Trafford, where he won a Premier League medal in 2013.

Cleverley became more of a feature in the Manchester United midfield and went on to earn 13 England caps before switching to Everton, after a loan spell with Aston Villa, in 2015.

He enjoyed two years at Goodison Park, signing for Watford in 2017, where he became a key figure in the engine room. Injury brought at early end to his playing career but Cleverley moved into coaching with the Watford Academy.

He was offered the role as Watford interim head coach in April 2024, with the position soon made permanent. Cleverley led the Hornets to a 14th-place finish in the Championship last season.

The club statement said: ‘Argyle are delighted to confirm the appointment of Tom Cleverley as the club’s new Head Coach on a three-year contract.

Cleverley was most recently Head Coach of Sky Bet Championship side Watford, who he led to a 14th-place finish in his first full season in charge, before departing the club in May.

Highly rated throughout the game as both a coach and a player, the 35-year-old joins Argyle ahead of the upcoming League One season, and will begin work immediately, before the players return for pre-season at the end of next week.

Chairman Simon Hallett is delighted to secure our number one target and commented: “Ever since Miron’s departure, and knowing Tom was available, we identified him straight away as the perfect person to be our next Head Coach and targeted him immediately.

“When we spoke to him he was completely aligned with the vision and ambitions of the club and it was clear throughout that Tom was the right fit for us.

“He is fully invested in our long-term plans and will play a key role in helping us achieve them.

“He is young, passionate and did a great job at Watford. We are thrilled to bring him to Argyle and look forward to seeing the impact he has on the talented squad at his disposal.”

Argyle Chief Executive Andrew Parkinson added: “We were inundated with interest from prospective candidates, which shows how exciting this project is. But, throughout the process, it was clear that Tom was the perfect person to take the club forward.

“He’s been highly sought after, so we are really pleased we have been able to bring him to Argyle and look forward to seeing him build a squad and style of play that will see us challenging at the top end of League One this season."

Discussions regarding backroom staff are ongoing, and will be announced in due course.’