Cleverley awaiting Manchester United's first Thai player
Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley will boost young Thai players' hopes with a message that being "clever" on the pitch matters more than size, when he makes a brief visit for a promotional event with Nike.
In Thailand to promote Nike’s street football tournament, the 23-year-old England international is also scheduled to conduct a clinic for local youth today.
Standing just 1.75 metres (5 foot 7”), the Manchester United star is no taller than most Thai players, and he dismisses the idea that size is a requirement for success in the sport.
“A lot of footballers these days are small… [Leo] Messi, [Andres] Iniesta, [Cesc] Fabregas, [Paul] Scholes. Some of the best players are small. I don’t think size matters,” Cleverley said in an interview with the popular TV news talk programme “Rueng Lao Chao Nee”.
Asked whether he had any advice for young Thai players aiming to follow in his footsteps, Cleverley replied: “Just three things: always work hard, enjoy what you do and listen to your coaches.”
He also saw no reason why Thai players could not make the grade at Manchester United.
“We’ve got players from all over the world. Shinji [Kagawa] from Japan and Antonio [Valencia] from Ecuador and all over the Europe. So why not?”
Having joined Manchester United academy as a 12-year-old, Cleverley, who has made nine appearances for England, revealed the lessons he had learned at Old Trafford were not confined to the pitch.
“Being at the United Academy, you learn to play football in the right way – passing and moving. Again, size doesn’t matter as long as you are clever on the pitch and also off it. They teach you how to be a nice person and a good professional.”
The England midfielder believes his success in coming through the youth ranks to become a member of United’s first-team squad was down to self-confidence.
“As a young player growing up there, you have to [avoid] being nervous, [you’ve] got to be confident. You play with the reserves and then you go up and train with players like [Ryan] Giggs and Scholes. Just [don’t] be nervous, be yourself and enjoy it.
Cleverley recently became a new father when his girlfriend Georgina Dorsett gave birth to a girl, Nevaeh.
“Definitely, she will be a Manchester [United] fan,” he said.
