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Manchester: First it was Manchester City, now Nathan Cleary has tapped into crosstown rivals Manchester United as he insists he won’t “close many doors” when it comes to deciding where he finishes his career.
Only a couple of days after having the blue carpet rolled out at one of the richest clubs in the world, Nathan and dad Ivan were given VIP access at United’s Carrington training base in greater Manchester.
The pair watched the first team train, with Nathan introduced to the playing squad while Ivan briefly met United manager Erik ten Hag and then spent significant time swapping notes with the Dutchman’s assistant and former England manager Steve McClaren.
For Nathan, a lifelong United fan, the experience was priceless. But for his club, pictures and videos of the Clearys being promoted on United’s social media channels was almost worth the trip alone.
Manchester United’s global fan base is so vast they have enormous reach on Facebook (83 million followers), Instagram (63 million) and X (37 million). The father-son rugby league duo took centre stage on their social media channels for a few hours.
The Panthers’ combined audience across the three social media platforms is just shy of 800,000.
Ivan Cleary said in the lead-up to the World Club Challenge showdown with Wigan on Sunday morning (AEDT) he has started digging deeper into some of world sport’s most successful dynasties, including United in the Alex Ferguson era, as Penrith begin a quest for four straight NRL titles.
But he has also considered a day when he’s not coaching Nathan, with the 26-year-old halfback acknowledging he is open-minded about where he will finish his career.
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Cleary has previously said rugby union’s global nature appealed to him, and he wouldn’t completely rule out considering a switch to the 15-man game well down the track.
He remains contracted to the Panthers alongside father and coach Ivan until the end of 2027 and said he is more than content in Sydney’s west at the moment.
“I’m not good at looking ahead,” Cleary told this masthead. “I’m a terrible planner and I try to stay focused and present in the moment.
“I’m also someone that wouldn’t close off many doors. I want to keep options open and experience different things, but at the moment I’m really happy at the club I’m at and the people I’m around. I don’t see why I’d change it now.”
Cleary has shaken off a knee injury he sustained in the miraculous grand final comeback – “I don’t think the alcohol helped afterwards” – to resume full training just before Christmas and has had an eye on adding a missing trophy to the Panthers’ collection ever since.
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Manchester United technical director Darren Fletcher (far left) and captain Bruno Fernandes (far left) Ivan and Nathan Cleary.
Told of his dance with greatness on his current trajectory, Cleary said: “I just want to get the best out of myself. When it gets to the end of my career, I want to say I gave myself every opportunity to maximise my potential.
“That doesn’t stop after a bit of success. You’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to keep getting better. I still believe I’ve got a lot of improvement. That drives me.
"It’s something special being a part of this group. A lot of my best mates are in this team and you want to achieve success with them. That just comes from working hard.”
The Panthers will be without back-rower Scott Sorensen for the showdown with Wigan at the DW Stadium as he failed to bounce back from a leg injury. Luke Garner has been promoted to the starting side.
Matt Eisenhuth has been added to the bench alongside Tyrone Peachey, Lindsay Smith and Liam Henry with Taylan May named to start in the centres for his first match in a year after rupturing his ACL in last year’s World Club Challenge.
Only a couple of days after having the blue carpet rolled out at one of the richest clubs in the world, Nathan and dad Ivan were given VIP access at United’s Carrington training base in greater Manchester.
The pair watched the first team train, with Nathan introduced to the playing squad while Ivan briefly met United manager Erik ten Hag and then spent significant time swapping notes with the Dutchman’s assistant and former England manager Steve McClaren.
For Nathan, a lifelong United fan, the experience was priceless. But for his club, pictures and videos of the Clearys being promoted on United’s social media channels was almost worth the trip alone.
Manchester United’s global fan base is so vast they have enormous reach on Facebook (83 million followers), Instagram (63 million) and X (37 million). The father-son rugby league duo took centre stage on their social media channels for a few hours.
The Panthers’ combined audience across the three social media platforms is just shy of 800,000.
Ivan Cleary said in the lead-up to the World Club Challenge showdown with Wigan on Sunday morning (AEDT) he has started digging deeper into some of world sport’s most successful dynasties, including United in the Alex Ferguson era, as Penrith begin a quest for four straight NRL titles.
But he has also considered a day when he’s not coaching Nathan, with the 26-year-old halfback acknowledging he is open-minded about where he will finish his career.
Advertisement
Cleary has previously said rugby union’s global nature appealed to him, and he wouldn’t completely rule out considering a switch to the 15-man game well down the track.
He remains contracted to the Panthers alongside father and coach Ivan until the end of 2027 and said he is more than content in Sydney’s west at the moment.
“I’m not good at looking ahead,” Cleary told this masthead. “I’m a terrible planner and I try to stay focused and present in the moment.
“I’m also someone that wouldn’t close off many doors. I want to keep options open and experience different things, but at the moment I’m really happy at the club I’m at and the people I’m around. I don’t see why I’d change it now.”
Cleary has shaken off a knee injury he sustained in the miraculous grand final comeback – “I don’t think the alcohol helped afterwards” – to resume full training just before Christmas and has had an eye on adding a missing trophy to the Panthers’ collection ever since.
Advertisement
Manchester United technical director Darren Fletcher (far left) and captain Bruno Fernandes (far left) Ivan and Nathan Cleary.
Told of his dance with greatness on his current trajectory, Cleary said: “I just want to get the best out of myself. When it gets to the end of my career, I want to say I gave myself every opportunity to maximise my potential.
“That doesn’t stop after a bit of success. You’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to keep getting better. I still believe I’ve got a lot of improvement. That drives me.
"It’s something special being a part of this group. A lot of my best mates are in this team and you want to achieve success with them. That just comes from working hard.”
The Panthers will be without back-rower Scott Sorensen for the showdown with Wigan at the DW Stadium as he failed to bounce back from a leg injury. Luke Garner has been promoted to the starting side.
Andrew Webster
Chief Sports WriterMatt Eisenhuth has been added to the bench alongside Tyrone Peachey, Lindsay Smith and Liam Henry with Taylan May named to start in the centres for his first match in a year after rupturing his ACL in last year’s World Club Challenge.
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