"I think Tom Cleverley will be attracting interest" - Claim made about Watford FC boss amid decent start | OneFootball

The Hornets boss has enjoyed a brilliant start to management at Vicarage Road

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Tom Cleverley has adapted to life as Watford manager brilliantly during his early days in charge at Vicarage Road, with the Hornets flying out the blocks in the 24/25 campaign.

With five wins out of their opening nine Championship matches of the season, the Hertfordshire outfit currently sit among the leading pack as we head into the international break, with Saturday’s 2-1 success over Middlesbrough the perfect way to head into the hiatus.

After pre-season doubts about his managerial prowess, as well as his team’s chances of competing in the second tier this season, the former Manchester United man continues to prove the doubters wrong, with the goals flying in on a regular basis so far.

It is still early days in Cleverley’s time as a manager, but we posed the question to Football League World’s Watford fan pundit Justin Beattie about whether he fears top flight clubs could be sniffing around if the good form continues.

Tom Cleverley urged to repay Watford FC faith

Cleverley was put in interim charge of Watford in March of this year, as he took hold of proceedings after Valerien Ismael became the latest boss to fail in the Vicarage Road dugout.

That temporary role soon turned permanent in April, with the ex-Hornets star going on to prove he has what it takes to make them tick, having had an association with the club for the last seven years.

With Watford willing to give him a role on the backroom staff once his playing days came to an end, no one gets the inner workings of the club as much as Cleverley, with the former midfielder being one of the constants despite the high turnover of managers and playing staff in recent years.

And Beattie believes the manager should be willing to repay the faith shown in him after being given his first managerial role, with the Hornets crying out for a bit of stability with a successful person at the helm.

The Watford fan said: “Undoubtedly, I think Tom Cleverley will be attracting interest from top flight clubs, but we have to remember that it is only his first season in full-time management.

“He is doing a good job at Watford, the fans really like the fact that he is the head coach, and he has also got Watford in his heart, I think, because he has spent a lot of time at the club in two separate spells.

“When his career ended through injury, Watford found him a position coaching the youth team, so I would like to think that that loyalty would be rewarded if anyone did come sniffing around him.

“But we all know what the managerial merry go-round is like - particularly at Watford - so let’s hope he stays.

"I think most fans would agree that he has done a great job in settling the team down and building a team with spirit.”

Tom Cleverley’s start to the 24/25 Championship season with Watford

Watford started the season in red-hot form with five straight wins in all competitions, as the likes of Millwall, Stoke City and Derby County were all despatched in the league.

Defeats to Sheffield United and Norwich City were shocks to the system after that fast start, before a strong showing against Manchester City in the EFL Cup proved that Cleverley’s side can be a match for any side they fancy on their day.

That was proved once again with victories over Sunderland and Middlesbrough of late, while a 3-0 reverse at Preston North End was put firmly in the rear view mirror the second the match was done.

With a trip to Kenilworth Road on the cards after the international break, there won’t be many that know what it means to taste victory over the Hatters more than the man in the away dugout next Saturday, with Cleverley continuing to prove that he and Watford are a match made in heaven.

Whether interest in the Hornets boss gathers remains to be seen, but for now he is still Watford boss, and those at Vicarage Road are loving every second.