My respect for Butt on his 50th birthday

As Nicky Butt turns 50, it is a timely moment to remember his significant contribution to Manchester United’s success under Sir Alex Ferguson.

While he made his debut in 1992, he is not the most heralded of that fabled generation of talent from the club’s Academy.

Ryan Giggs made the earliest breakthrough but Butt was blooded at league level ahead of peers such as Gary Neville, David Beckham and Paul Scholes, entrusted with top-flight combat by the manager.

Indeed, he was the second player to make his bow for the club in the Premier League and the first homegrown youngster, as Dion Dublin, a £1 million signing from Cambridge United, was the other.

After appearing off the bench in a 3-0 win over Oldham Athletic, it was almost a year before he made his second first-teaming outing, coming on as a late substitute in a big home match against Tottenham, and again contributing to victory.

It was in his third game where he provided a telling moment, the FA Cup semi-final against Oldham at Wembley. Our Double dreams about to go up in smoke, he won the ball in midfield with a simple header forward that was hooked on by Brian McClair and Mark Hughes did the rest. The spectacular volley forced a replay to keep Ferguson’s men on course for a club first.

That one intervention, which effectively changed history, must have given the youngster confidence and provided the platform for him to start becoming more of a permanent fixture in the following season, when he made 22 league appearances, some 35 in total.

United fell at the final hurdle in both the Premier League and FA Cup that season, in gut-wrenching fashion. The disappointment spilled over to the opening day of the 1995/96 term, when a 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa prompted BBC pundit Alan Hansen to proclaim that you can never win anything with kids. During a lengthy chat with Nicky for United Review, our official programme, many years later, he confessed this was a tough time.

He said the youngsters feared they’d ruined things at serial winners United but he, and his peers, would dig deep and, ultimately, secure another Double with Eric Cantona leading the team in majestic fashion.

It was the first of six title-winners’ medals for the midfielder as he also helped the Reds finish on top in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003.

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The local lad started in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich in Barcelona, alongside Beckham in the engine room, and ensured he will always be remembered as a key member of that Treble-winning side.

So often called upon by Ferguson, he was a reliable and consistent performer. A natural aggression made him the perfect fit for the team, enabling others to show their flair and forming a snarling partnership with captain Roy Keane, demanding exacting standards from their colleagues.

It was not a case that he was merely deputising for the Irishman in the Nou Camp, due to our no.16’s suspension, or whenever Keano was injured or banned. They played together on 235 occasions as Nicky played 387 times in total for his boyhood club. The extent of his service is reflected in the fact that he stands in 36th spot in the overall appearance list and 12th when focusing on the Premier League alone.

He finally received wider acclaim with his outstanding performances for England at the 2002 World Cup. There was much more to his game than scrapping in the middle of the park, he was an astute passer, a selfless individual and could chip in with a goal (26 in all for the Reds, including our last of the 20th century – against Sunderland).

Yet Butty is usually keen to downplay his talent, presumably due to modesty. I remember him saying he was not as technically good as the midfielders operating in the final stages of Sir Alex’s managerial tenure, yet he would have been one of the first names on the teamsheet.

His pal Gary Neville is similar, with his consistently self-effacing comments over his ability. To be honest, for those who watched them help elevate United to untold glory, it can be a little frustrating and irritating.

Neville, whose brother Phil celebrates his birthday today, posted a greeting on social media to say that Butt was so tough and a hard man to play against, he was pleased to be his team-mate.

The same can be said of any Reds supporter – we are delighted the Gorton grafter achieved the childhood dream of representing his club, not only with distinction on the pitch but also in charge of the Academy following his retirement.

Nicky Butt’s contribution to the cause should never be undervalued.

The opinions in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Manchester United Football Club.

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