Cleverley, Evans Talk Boots

There’s more to the Old Trafford Megastore than Manchester United merchandise. It’s also home to a large range of football boots and Reds stars Tom Cleverley and Jonny Evans stopped by recently to talk to local students about the styles they wear on the pitch.

Tom Cleverley: I wear the Nike CTR 360s at the moment, the orange ones. You can’t miss ‘em! It’s great working with Nike because we have a lot of input into the final product. We tell them how we like to wear them and give our opinion on things like the fit and the feel of the boot. My boots, as a midfielder, tend to help with my first touch and they fit well. They’re really comfortable.

Jonny Evans: I wear Nike Tiempos. It actually took me a while to get used to wearing the Tiempos when I first tried them, but the new model that came out a few months ago are the most comfortable boots I’ve ever worn. I love them.

TC: A couple of months before a boot is going to come out the players are given demo versions and we wear them in training. Then we provide feedback to Nike, which is a good process. It means you have a say in the final product. Boots are always developing and that’s important. Sometimes we might let them know that the boot feels too thin in a certain area or that the studs are in the wrong position. Once a boot’s gone through that process and it’s ready for release we tend to find out about the new colour scheme… normally it’s bright pink or something like that! The ones I wore before the ones I’m in now were the brightest yellow you’ve ever seen.

JE: I remember a year or two ago we all had the same feeling that where the stud was implanted into the boot it didn’t feel right. It was a bit too big and you could feel that through your foot. So they went away and made it smaller and it made a difference. As a defender, the last thing you want is to slip and fall over so you need to make sure the studs are exactly right. Little things like that can make a big difference.

JE: Also, certain boots are made of different materials. I’ve always preferred a leather boot and I used to wear the Total 90s in the past and loved them. Then the new Tiempos came out and they were leather and suited me. Some leathers stretch more than others after you wear them a few times, but these new Tiempos are great and don’t stretch at all, which means you have a really snug fit. I’ve had the same pair of boots now for just over two months… and bear in mind I’m wearing them every single day and playing a lot of games in them.

TC: I get a pair every couple of months, although I normally train in a different pair to the ones I play in. I’ve just been away with England, though, and Jay Rodriguez had about 50 pairs of boots with him! It’s different for different players.

JE: You break them in by training in them. I had a new pair of boots last week and decided I wouldn’t wear them in the game because I hadn’t worn them enough in training. I wanted to get a better feel for them before I went out on the pitch and wore them in a match.