Cleverley: Many players have anxiety tendencies, and I didn’t know how to deal with stress and other issues at first.

October 13th October 10th this year is the 34th "World Mental Health Day". The 36-year-old Manchester United veteran and current Plymouth coach Cleverley talked about the topic of players' mental health.

He said: "For players, poor performance can cause pressure, and being abused can also cause pressure. When these problems persist for a long time and cannot be shaken off, it turns into anxiety. I experienced it in the 13-14 season. At that time, someone even sent a petition to the England national team asking me to leave the England team. This undoubtedly increased my psychological burden. The next year, my home was robbed, and my home was no longer my safe haven, but a place where I felt suffocated.

“I dealt with anxiety very poorly at the beginning. After training, I would go home and hide in a dark room to watch TV shows, unwilling to go out until I went to training the next day. This is a very unhealthy way of coping, one that lacks educational guidance.

"As a football player, I always judge the quality of life by the 90 minutes of the game every week. I think a lot of professional players have this tendency, and we have to understand that as a player, sometimes you need to be strong, tough, grit your teeth. But sometimes, you can put these qualities aside and talk to other people."

Cleverley came from Manchester United's youth training and was promoted to the first team in 2008. Since then, he has been frequently loaned out, including Leicester City, Watford, Wigan, etc. Cleverley moved to Everton on a free transfer in 2015 and joined Watford two years later. Cleverley announced his retirement in the summer of 2023.