Michael Clegg (footballer)

Michael Jamie Clegg (born 3 July 1977) is an English football coach and former player who played as a defender. He is currently the first-team strength and power coach at Manchester United, with whom he began his professional playing career in the mid-1990s. He made 24 appearances for the club between 1996 and 2001, and spent time on loan to Ipswich Town and Wigan Athletic before making a permanent move to Oldham Athletic in 2002. He made 52 appearances in two seasons with the Latics before struggles with his mental health led to his retirement at the age of 26.[1]

Michael Clegg
Personal information
Full name Michael Jamie Clegg
Date of birth (1977-07-03) 3 July 1977
Place of birth Ashton-under-Lyne, England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current team
 Manchester United
(strength and conditioning coach)
Youth career
1993–1995 Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–2002 Manchester United 9 (0)
2000 → Ipswich Town (loan) 3 (0)
2000 → Wigan Athletic (loan) 6 (0)
2002–2004 Oldham Athletic 46 (0)
Total 64 (0)
National team
1998 England U21 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Clegg, born in Ashton-under-Lyne,[2] began his football career as a trainee with Manchester United[3] and was part of the 1995 FA Youth Cup-winning side.[4][5] He turned professional soon afterwards,[3] and made his first-team debut on 23 November 1996, in a Premier League game away to Middlesbrough which finished as a 2–2 draw.[6] He played in four FA Premier League games in the 1996–97 season, and although United were champions for the fourth time in five seasons it was not enough for a title winner's medal. He managed a further three appearances in 1997–98 (when United were trophyless for only the second time in the decade) before making his final two appearances in the 1999–2000 campaign, when United won their sixth title in eight seasons, but once again Clegg failed to meet the required number of appearances for a title winner's medal.

Clegg spent time on loan at Ipswich Town and Wigan Athletic[1] before he joined Second Division club Oldham Athletic on a free transfer on 19 February 2002.[3] In his first season, he played just 10 times as Oldham qualified for the Second Division play-offs, only to see them beaten in the semi-finals. A potential purchase of the club fell through and they went into administration, resulting in the squad being gutted to cover their debts. Clegg remained with the club and played 32 times as they finished in 15th place; however, he struggled with his mental health and retired from professional football at the end of the 2003–04 season.[7]

Coaching career

After two years out of the game, Clegg was appointed by former Manchester United team-mate Roy Keane as Sunderland's strength and conditioning coach in 2006.[8]

On 6 July 2019, Clegg was announced as a first-team strength and power coach at Manchester United.[9]

Personal life

Clegg's father, Mike, was strength and conditioning coach at Manchester United from 2000 to 2011.[10] Clegg's cousin, David, committed suicide at the age of 19.[7]

Honours

Individual

References
  1. "Michael Clegg". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  2. "Michael Clegg Manchester United FC". Football Heroes. Sporting Heroes Collections.
  3. "Off to Oldham". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 19 February 2002. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  4. O'Keeffe, Brendan (12 May 1995). "Spurs youngsters have the edge". The Independent. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  5. Hodgson, Guy (16 May 1995). "Cooke's spot success for United". The Independent. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  6. "Middlesbrough v Man Utd". 4thegame. Sportech. 23 November 1996.
  7. Yaffe, Simon (18 April 2019). "Michael Clegg on Man Utd, depression, early retirement and Roy Keane's help". PlanetFootball.com. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  8. Rayner, Stuart (20 January 2007). "Cats are fighting fit – Keane" (reprint). The Journal. FindArticles. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  9. Marshall, Adam (6 July 2019). "More backroom staff positions at United confirmed". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  10. Thompson, Gemma (7 July 2009). "Meet... Mike Clegg". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  11. Bostock, Adam (4 May 2010). "De Laet's delight". ManUtd.com. Manchester United Football Club. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
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