Nicky Butt insists Man United have NO chance of winning the Premier League by 2028 while Ryan Giggs takes aim at Sir Jim Ratcliffe for ‘turfing out’ the fans amid price hikes
Class of ’92 legends Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt enjoyed glittering careers at Manchester United, and worked for the club after hanging up their boots – Giggs as assistant to Louis van Gaal, while Butt was in charge of the youth academy and then head of first-team development.
Mail Sport caught up with the former United stars at a gala event in Manchester to get their thoughts on the latest developments at Old Trafford.
It’s been 12 years since United last won the title. Is Project 150 to win it again by 2028 too ambitious?
NICKY BUTT: That ain’t going to happen. It’s going to be a long way off, and the most important thing is starting on the right foot. Hopefully get this season put to bed because it’s been a disaster.
What gets me is that everyone expects other clubs to sit still. Newcastle, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal will get better. Man City will definitely get better.
RYAN GIGGS: There’s a lot of work to be done because of what’s happened over the last 10 years, recruitment-wise and with bad decisions both on and off the pitch. It’s not great to see. It might be a long time before we bring success back onto the pitch, but from what I’ve seen so far I believe Ruben Amorim has got a great chance if he’s backed.
Ryan Giggs (left) and Nicky Butt (right) have spoken out on Man United’s latest developments
Butt believes Man United will not win the Premier League by 2028 after a ‘disaster’ season
Giggs has been impressed by Ruben Amorim and backs him to bring about positive change
The way that he’s remained positive and called a few people out when it’s needed, he’s got that charisma, that personality, but he’s also got that bit of steel as well.
United went 26 years without a title and Liverpool 30 years. Could that be happening again?
NB: I would never be naive to say it won’t take that long because big clubs like Man United have done it before where they’ve had to wait so long. I hope not, but I wouldn’t bet against it. I don’t think anyone’s got a given right to go and win the Premier League.
RG: We’re such a big club and had success for such a long time, you don’t believe it. But it does happen. It happened to us before we won the league and it happened to Liverpool.
We do need lots and lots of players, but you never know. It can happen in a short space of time, but you need a lot of things to go for you.
What do you think of the way the club has been run and the recruitment policy?
NB: Over the years, Man United has looked like it’s a plaster on a gaping wound. It doesn’t work. They haven’t got the finances, they have to get their house in order, they have to be a proper football club that work to a design, an ethos and a recruitment drive of how to get players in and get them out for big money.
Obviously, they’ve got rid of Dan Ashworth, which I thought was a strange one, having worked so hard to get him from Newcastle.
I think even if you got David Gill and Sir Alex back there, it’s going to be a struggle for a long time. We’re at the bottom of the mountain and there’s a massive climb to get up.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and club chiefs are ‘turfing away’ loyal fans with price rises and the VIP dugout area, Giggs argues
Butt thinks the hierarchy made a ‘strange’ decision in getting rid of Dan Ashworth so soon
RG: I’ve said for a long time that we need young, hungry players who want to play for the club. People who realise it’s not going to be an easy ride and a bit of a soft touch; come and finish your career or get money you perhaps don’t deserve.
I think there’s been some harsh and truthful words being spoken over the last couple of months by Jim Ratcliffe and Ruben Amorim. Maybe it was needed, we’ll have to wait and see.
Are you disappointed the financial problems could force homegrown talents like Kobbie Mainoo being sold?
NB: It’s not nice to hear that Kobbie might be leaving because of FFP or whatever they want to call it, but it’s been wrongly run for so many years financially that now the people in charge are going to have to deal with that.
What’s happening now is a sad effect of what’s been going on for the last 10-12 years.
If you don’t get your house in order early doors and you start letting the money just burn away, then that’s what happens.
RG: Yes, it’s sad to see. What would it have been like back in our day if that was the case? How many players wouldn’t have played 400-500 games for Man United?
I hope it doesn’t happen but you can see why clubs are taking advantage of it. With the financial constraints they are now under, it makes it easier to get rid of the younger players. It doesn’t seem right.
Kobbie Mainoo leaving would be a consequence of years of mismanagement, says Butt
Giggs questions how many great players United would have lost over the years had FFP rules been in force
Marcus Rashford is a separate issue, but what do you make of him going out on loan to Aston Villa?
NB: I think it was the right thing for him to go. He wasn’t looking happy playing football here. I’ve known Marcus since he was 9 or 10, and it was sad to see him struggling on the pitch.
That happens with so many people when they get into a little bit of quicksand and they can’t get out of it. Villa are an amazing club and he’s got his England call-up again which will be a massive boost for him. I’d like to see him back in a Man United shirt but who knows?
RG: I worked with Marcus and I remember going over with Louis to watch him train with the reserves. It was one of those moments where you just can’t leave him out of the team and he was a breath of fresh air.
Looking from the outside, it does look like he’s got the world on his shoulders and he’s forgotten what it’s like to play with freedom. It’s great to see him doing well at Villa. I don’t know whether he’ll come back.
What are your views on the ticket-price rises and plans to move fans out of their seats to create a VIP dugout club?
NB: They’re punishing the wrong people, in my eyes, to try and balance the books.
There are a lot of things I think they’re doing wrong, but we all know that and it’s sad to see because I’ve loved my Man Utd since I was six years of age and it’s not the Man United that I know and loved.
Butt wants to see Marcus Rashford back at United after a happy spell with Aston Villa, which has seen him break back into the England squad
He adds that United are ‘punishing the wrong people’ with ticket price increases
Both legends cast doubt on the realism of Manchester United’s stadium redevelopment plans
United are aiming to build a £2billion, 100,000-capacity stadium over a five-year period
RG: I can only speak for my mates who have been behind the dugout for 25 years. They’ve got their names on the seats, and they’re getting turfed away. It’s difficult, they don’t know where they’re going to go. It’s tough to see the club in this sort of situation.
What do you make of the new stadium design?
NB: You have to move with the times and the club haven’t been that dynamic for a long time. It’s sad to say, but the ground isn’t what it used to be and it’s great they’ve got some new plans. Whether or not it’s doable is anyone’s guess.
RG: The design isn’t going to look like that, I don’t think. But if it is going to be a new stadium, which it looks like, it needs to be the best. I think everyone would like to keep the stadium as it is, like what they’ve done at the Nou Camp and the Bernabeu. If that isn’t possible, then the next best thing is a new stadium. Man United has always been at the forefront and we fell behind with that.
Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt were speaking at the inaugural Champions for Children Gala Dinner to raise money for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Foundation 92.
