A year ago Tom Cleverley was still battling to try and get fit so that he could extend his playing career.

Ultimately he couldn’t – and yet just 12 months later he spoke to the media this morning as the new permanent head coach of the club he calls home.

“It has been a whirlwind year,” he admitted.

“The first time that it really sunk it was when the pen hit the paper and I was going to be the permanent manager of the football club.

“That’s a really significant moment in my career, and to do it at a club that means so much to me.

"I’m feeling very proud – but all focus quickly turns to progressing the team and forward planning.

“In this job, you don’t get much time to reflect. It engulfs your whole life and there isn’t much thinking time apart from the present and the future.

“But when the season finishes I’ll think of what a productive year it’s been for me to learn so much and progress so quickly, and then to be in the position I am.”

It was only seven weeks ago that Cleverley was installed on an interim basis, and he was visibly thrilled when that happened.

“It’s even more exciting now, to be honest,” he beamed.

“Like I said when I came in first of all, the focus is always on the next game but the exciting part now is that I can plan for next season.

“I can plan a squad, I can plan a pre-season – and I think that will be a huge period for us to set foundations.

“I see a lot of scope for improvement in our squad and I’m really looking forward to pre-season and then the new season.

“The way I want to play is a demanding one, so it’ll be a physical pre-season.

“I am so excited by that six/seven-week pre-season period we’ll have and I think you’ll see a completely different team on the first day of next season.”

Obviously once you move from interim to permanent, the pressure can be ratcheted up very quickly.

“I’ve been hugely focussed so the pressure of the job I’m in is not something I’ve really concentrated on,” Cleverley said.

"For me it’s been more about planning and preparing the team, and just being totally focussed on how we can take three points each time, plus how I can develop our players.

“I’ve genuinely not had much time to think about the pressure of the job and the stress of the role.

“It has been so, so focussed on trying to win each game and developing the players.

“I’ve enjoyed it, and that is massive credit to the players I’ve been working with.

“They have made it a lot easier for me in the way they have applied themselves and fought for results.

“The way they have turned up and trained every day has made the job really enjoyable.

“Moving forward, the exciting thing is I think there is a lot more progression in us, and a lot more we can learn.

“The more they learn our ways of wanting to play, then I think we have an exciting time ahead.”

Before next season there is still this season to finish, and one thing very obviously not lost on Cleverley is the fact Watford haven’t won a league match at Vicarage Road since November 28.

“For me tomorrow is massive,” he confessed.

“On a personal level it’s massive, but more importantly on a club level.

“To get that home win which we’ve not had for so long in our last home game of the season and my first game as permanent head coach – it’s massive.

“That is the only thing I’m focussed on right now.

“We’re still searching for that bit of balance at home where we’ve been solid, but we’ve not quite looked like breaking the deadlock in the last two games at Vicarage Road.

“We want to be attacking as well as solid.”

But what about tomorrow? What about that moment he takes his place in the technical area as the new Watford head coach?

“I suppose walking out of the tunnel tomorrow as the permanent manager will feel a bit different,” he said.

“But I’m still addressed as Tom or Clevs. I’ve not changed to gaffer or boss yet, and I don’t know if that’ll stay the same.

“It might change next season, but I’ll still be in a tracksuit.”