Tom Cleverley has officially been announced as the new captain of Watford FC.
Cleverley first joined the club on loan from Manchester United in 2009, where he was immediately associated with hard work and grit in the middle of the park.
Following this loan spell, Cleverley went on to make over 80 Premier League appearances at both Manchester United and Everton respectively, as well as appearances for England and Team GB at the Olympics in 2012.
In 2017, Cleverley was reunited with the Hornets when Walter Mazzarri signed him during the January transfer window. Cleverley played a key role for Watford throughout the second half of the season and has been a main figure in the Watford team ever since.
The midfielder has been given the armband a number of times throughout his Watford career and following the departure of Moussa Sissoko, Cleverley has finally been given the role full-time by new manager, Rob Edwards.
The right decision?
There were few candidates in the current Watford squad who could have picked up the captaincy mantle.
Following Dan Gosling’s interview with the Watford Observer where he called out his teammates’ attitude from last season, a fair few Watford fans called for Gosling to become the new Watford captain. There is a good chance though that Gosling will take up a vice-captain role and there is no doubt that he will show his leadership and experience throughout the season.
The same can be said for Craig Catchart. Like Cleverley, Cathcart has captained Watford numerous times over the years, so it would not have surprised anyone if he was selected by Rob Edwards as the skipper. Despite not being the most vocal on the pitch, he will be a key person in the dressing room this season for Watford and it will be important for him to continue showing off his leadership skills.
Nigeria’s captain, William Troost-Ekong was also a contender. However, with game time not being a guarantee for the centre-half, it is likely that Edwards looked to someone that he feels can play a key part this season.
On the balance of things, it probably is the right decision for Cleverley to become the new captain. As someone who evidently loves Watford Football Club and as someone who is vastly experienced, he ticks all the boxes to take the armband from Moussa Sissoko.
Will Cleverley start for Watford this season?
Due to the fact that Cleverley has been named as captain, one can assume that he will be selected by Rob Edwards in most games.
At the age of 32, it is unlikely that Cleverley will play all 46 games for Watford this season and will probably rotate with Imran Louza or Edu Kayembe, who has impressed in pre-season.
While his ability on the ball can sometimes be questioned, it can never be questioned that Cleverley is a player who gives a hundred percent each week for Watford and with the captains armband, few would argue that this won’t continue.
