Nicky Butt calls United “rotten”, claiming Sir Alex couldn’t even turn the club around | OneFootball

Manchester United have experienced a turbulent season to say the least, enjoying some surprising victories along with a whole host of disappointing results.

One of the most disappointing matches was last night’s game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite beating Wolves 4-1 away from home earlier this month, Man United were unable to finish the job at Old Trafford, settling for a 1-1 draw.

Understandably, this result, as well as the team’s inconsistent season at large, has infuriated numerous pundits, particularly former United players.

One extremely frustrated individual with the club this season is Nicky Butt.

The problem beneath the surface

“For me, it’s fundamentally that the club is rotten from the bottom up at the minute,” Butt admitted in an interview with FourFourTwo.

“If you brought prime Sir Alex Ferguson back in, he wouldn’t be able to turn it around straight away, it would still take time. If you put Pep Guardiola in there, or Jurgen Klopp, it wouldn’t work either,” he continued, suggesting that United’s problems run deep within its organisational structure.

He then went on to identify United’s transfer activity as a persistent issue.

“Ultimately, I think the players we’re buying and the players that we’re able to buy aren’t at the level we used to have, so it’s about accepting the fact that it’s going to take five to eight years in order to get the club back to anywhere near winning the Premier League,” he explained. “It’s been a s**tshow.”

Still, Butt’s harsh assessment isn’t the only one that has been directed at United by alumni in recent times.

The frustration is growing

This isn’t the first time that Butt has touched on United’s transfer issues. He and Paul Scholes imparted some advice to United just a few days ago.

The pair advised the club to be aggressive in the transfer market by raiding fellow Premier League clubs for their best players. While they admitted that players from elite teams such as Arsenal and Man City might not be options, they could go for stars in teams that are slightly below in stature, with the pair mentioning Tottenham Hotspur as an example.

But even if one such strategy is followed, other United legends have pointed out that the tactical decisions of manager Ruben Amorim are still questionable.

Gary Neville claimed that United are going backwards under Amorim, questioning why the United manager thought it wise to take off Joshua Zirkzee at half-time despite being the goalscorer. He criticised the Portuguese manager’s decision to revert back to his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation even though the back four seemed to be working.

Ultimately, if Butt is correct, United’s problems may run much deeper than some simple inconsistencies on Amorim’s part. Hopefully, INEOS has the understanding required to address these structural flaws.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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