Transfer deadline days always generate some unusual stories and memories.

There was Peter Odemwingie turning up in his car at QPR’s stadium trying to get himself a move, and then the silhouette of Dimitar Berbatov captured by Sky Sports in a window at Old Trafford.

For Tom Cleverley, his most memorable deadline day anecdote came when he had to tell the fearsome Roy Keane he wouldn’t be joining him at Aston Villa – only to end up doing exactly that a few hours later.

“It was the summer of 2014, and Louis van Gaal had come in at Old Trafford and told me I could leave,” Cleverley explained.

“I’d been talking to Roberto Martinez at Everton, and it was set for me to go there. United wanted me to go to Aston Villa, and I’d met Roy Keane – who was assistant there – in the week. My first choice was to go to Everton though.

“United were adamant I was going to Villa, but I’d gone up to Everton and I was parked in a lay-by close to their Finch Farm training ground.

“Then United contacted me and said there was going to be no business done with Everton.

“I text Keane and say to him I was at Finch Farm and I wanted to sign for Everton. He replied with a barrage of abuse!

“I was saying to United that I wasn’t going to Villa, I was signing for Everton – and then in the end a loan move to Villa got agreed.

“At the time I really didn’t want to go. I had a great relationship with Martinez, and joining Everton meant I could stay in my house in the north.

“As it turned out I loved every minute of playing for Villa. Going to meet Keane for the first time after those texts was interesting, but we looked each other in the eye, shook hands and got on with it. It was a bit uncomfortable, especially as I’d met with in the week and then told him I wouldn’t be going to Villa!”

Cleverley said he had been a huge fan of the Irish international as a youngster.

“I’d never played with Keane, but he did his coaching badges with us when I was in the United youth team. He also trained with the reserves a few times when he was coming back from injury.

“He’s every bit as intimidating as you think he would be. There were some days when we’d have a good chat about football, but you knew you didn’t want to get on the wrong side of him.

“I’d grown up supporting Man United and idolised Roy Keane, so I did feel a bit bad about getting into his bad books.”

On that same day that Cleverley was doing a trip from Manchester to Aston Villa via Everton, there were other deadline day deals being done.

“That was a mad transfer window,” he said.

“I was at the training ground and Danny Welbeck and his agent were there sorting out his move to Arsenal, Falcao was there arranging to join United, and I was there trying get myself a move.”