Former Everton player has just been brutally sacked in highly controversial decision

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A number of former Everton players have gone on to become managers after hanging up their boots.

Lee Carsley is one of the more high-profile examples, having had a brief stint as England manager and now back working with the under-21s.

Leicester City are looking at Carsley to replace Ruud van Nistelrooy, whilst he’s also had interest from the Toffees prior to David Moyes taking over.

Wayne Rooney is also trying to carve a career out on the touchline, although he’s not had much success up to now.

Rooney’s last job was at Plymouth Argyle, but they sacked him at the end of last year after a dire run of form.

And now, another former Everton player has just been sacked, but this time in very controversial circumstances.

• READ MORE: Jamie Carragher owes Everton an apology after what he’s just said about Trent Alexander-Arnold

Watford sack former Everton player Tom Cleverley

Everton signed Tom Cleverley from Manchester United in 2015 and he made 42 appearances for the club, netting two goals and laying on six assists.

Cleverley then moved on to Watford, where he established himself as key player for many years before moving into a coaching role.

The former Everton midfielder clearly impressed the Hornets as they decided to appoint him as the first-team manager in April 2024.

Despite not being backed and managing a relatively poor squad, Cleverley has guided them to a 14th-placed finish, not a million miles off the play-offs.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
6	Bristol CityBristol City	46	17	17	12	59	55	4	68
7	BlackburnBlackburn	46	19	9	18	53	48	5	66
8	MillwallMillwall	46	18	12	16	47	49	-2	66
9	West BromWest Brom	46	15	19	12	57	47	10	64
10	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	46	18	10	18	64	56	8	64
11	SwanseaSwansea	46	17	10	19	51	56	-5	61
12	Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday	46	15	13	18	60	69	-9	58
13	NorwichNorwich	46	14	15	17	71	68	3	57
14	WatfordWatford	46	16	9	21	53	61	-8	57
15	QPRQPR	46	14	14	18	53	63	-10	56
16	PortsmouthPortsmouth	46	14	12	20	58	71	-13	54
17	Oxford UnitedOxford United	46	13	14	19	49	65	-16	53
18	Stoke CityStoke City	46	12	15	19	45	62	-17	51
19	DerbyDerby	46	13	11	22	48	56	-8	50
20	PrestonPreston	46	10	20	16	48	59	-11	50
21	Hull CityHull City	46	12	13	21	44	54	-10	49

But, Watford made a highly controversial decision to sack Cleverley on Tuesday, which hasn’t gone down well among supporters.

Cleverley well-placed to land another Championship job

When managers are sacked, it’s almost always a blotch on their CV and lessens their chances of landing another job at that level.

But, that likely won’t be the case for Cleverley, as he clearly did a good job at Watford and deserved a chance to make a play-off push next season, with proper backing in the transfer window.

Norwich City are reportedly looking at the former Everton man, and there are expected to be more second-tier clubs queuing up for talks.

So, it doesn’t seem like Cleverley will be out of work for long.