Nicky Butt: The class of 92 would struggle at today’s Manchester United | OneFootball

Nicky Butt, one of Manchester United’s famed Class of ’92, has admitted that even his generation of academy graduates would have struggled to thrive in the current climate at Old Trafford.

Butt, who made his Premier League debut in 1992 alongside club stalwarts Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce, and Gary Pallister, went on to form part of the iconic crop of talent that included David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, and Gary and Phil Neville. Together, they underpinned Sir Alex Ferguson’s treble-winning side of 1999 and defined an era of sustained domestic and European success.

Yet reflecting on United’s present struggles, Butt believes the conditions that enabled his group to succeed no longer exist. “If we had been brought into this environment now, you would never have heard of us,” he said, speaking to Sky Sports. “We would have played seven, eight, nine, or 10 games. We would have had a nightmare.”

Butt attributes his cohort’s development not merely to their talent but to the world-class professionals who surrounded them. “We got brought into a football team that was successful with world-class players, but more importantly, world-class professionals, good men. They made us, really. Trust me, it was more the fact that we had professionals around,” he explained.

The 49-year-old, who later returned to the club as head of academy before leaving in 2021, suggested that the lack of experienced leaders in the current squad makes the integration of young players far more difficult. “When you come into a football club, it is hard enough to put one young lad into a team. If you have not got real men to look after you, then you will struggle.”

For Butt, United’s decline is not only a matter of results, but of culture.

GFN | Finn Entwistle