Nicky Butt revealed he’s very proud to have been named the new Academy coach at Manchester United and that he was looking forward to get started.
Butt, whose appointment to replace Brian McClair was announced on Monday, was adamant the club had all it needed to bridge the gap with its rivals, whose youth sectors have overtaken United’s in recent years.
“I’m very proud,” he said.
“I think it’s a massive job and something I’m going to be passionate about. Now it’s time to move forward and move the club back to where we feel it should be – we’re still producing some great players for the first team, as we’ve always done for many, many years but we always need to look forward.
“We can’t stand still as a team in any area of the club. I’ve had reassurances about where we’re going so it’s all positive.”
Ryan Giggs has spent the last three seasons as assistant manager of the senior team, first under David Moyes and now under Louis Van Gaal and Butt said he was keen to instil the spirit of the Class of ’92 into the current crop of youngsters.
“When you come as a young kid, passionate about football and my local team, certainly one you support all your life, you start at this club with your eyes wide open and so is your mouth,” he said.
“You can’t believe the size of the place but slowly and surely you get used to it and it becomes just part of your life.
“When you’re younger, you take it for granted. I think you do, so credit to the people that have run this club for so long and worked here to keep you grounded and make you welcome. They change your mindset so it becomes the norm, which it is not really – playing for such a big club like this at any age group is not the norm.”
“Most kids around the world would die for this, so it was massive for me as a kid, big when I got into the first team, big when I came back to do my coaching and it is again now I’m heading the Academy.”
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