Former Manchester United player Nicky Butt has been named United’s new Head of Academy.
The 41-year-old Mancunian was part of the famed Class of ’92 as a player, making 387 appearances for United between 1992 and 2004, winning six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and a Champions League title.
Before taking on this role, Butt took on a role as a reserves coach at Carrington, as well as serving as Ryan Giggs’ assistant manager for the final four games of the 2013-14 season following David Moyes’ sacking. This season, he coached the under-18 side as they competed in the UEFA Youth League.
Butt fills the vacancy created by Brian McClair’s departure to take up a role with the Scottish Football Association almost a year ago.
In a statement to the official club website, Butt expressed his delight at the opportunity of taking up the prestigious role:
It’s a privilege to take on this role. As someone who learned his trade in the United youth set-up, it’s a huge honour now to be given the chance to lead the Academy and to instil its values and attitudes to continue to create future generations of Manchester United players.
It’s a big challenge but I am fortunate to be taking over a dedicated, first-class team. Our aim remains the same – to keep supplying the first team with well-coached, rounded players that understand the responsibility of playing for the biggest club in the world.
United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward outlined the club’s commitment to producing top-class youth players while praising Butt’s qualities:
I am delighted that Nicky has accepted the role of Head of Academy. Nicky has the traditions and heritage of this Club in his blood and he is the natural choice to ensure that, in modernising the way the Academy operates and shaping the new investment we are making, it retains the values and the focus that it has always had.
Manchester United’s Academy is completely focused on producing young players for our first team. As a graduate of its finest team in the modern era, Nicky will bring passion, energy and experience to drive the Academy forward, retaining the characteristics that give us a competitive advantage – namely an unmatched track record of player development together with the runway of first-team action. In the last four years, some 15 Academy graduates have played for the first team, playing a total of 173 appearances – a record of which the Club is very proud.
