Nicky Butt raves about ‘brilliant’ ex-United manager who belongs in same league as Sir Alex Ferguson

Jose Mourinho is one of the biggest names in football, having achieved success at practically every club he has managed. His time in charge of Manchester United is regarded by some as a disappointment, however. Fans believed that the ‘Special One’ would be the man to return the Red Devils to the peak of world football but, after a successful first season at the helm, the Portuguese tactician became increasingly disillusioned and eventually lost his job. Former United player Nicky Butt, though, believes the man now in charge of Benfica deserves more respect and acknowledgement for what he achieved during his time at Old Trafford. Is Mourinho judged too harshly? Jose Mourinho’s time at United started with a bang. He was announced as the club’s new manager just days after Louis van Gaal lifted the FA Cup in a move that divided the fan base, with many believing the Dutchman deserved more time after delivering the club’s first trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. Still, despite the slightly harsh conditions of his arrival, the former Chelsea manager oversaw a very positive start to his United career. Under his guidance, the Red Devils signed a number of key players, including Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Though his first season in charge was undoubtedly his most successful, Mourinho enjoyed positive results throughout most of his United career. As a result of this, he boasts the fourth-best win rate of any Manchester United manager in the club’s history. Nicky Butt’s thoughts Speaking on his podcast The Good, The Bad & The Football, former player Butt said: “A lot of people didn’t like him at Man United; he got a lot of bad press, but I thought he was brilliant. They finished second, won the Europa League.” Butt isn’t wrong. United’s first season under the tutelage of Mourinho was, in terms of trophies at least, the club’s most successful since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, with Mourinho claiming the Community Shield, the EFL Cup and the Europa League. Comparison to legendary managers Expanding upon his point, Butt went on to say: “We got brought up with arguably the best manager of all time, but that’s not what just makes Sir Alex great, it’s not what makes Pep great, what I think makes them great is when they can walk into a room and they can command the attention of the players, the authority, have presence.” “Mourinho had that [at United], and he had Zlatan [Ibrahimovic], [Paul] Pogba, [Wayne] Rooney, a lot of big players.” An inspiring work-ethic Butt also touched upon his own experiences working with the charismatic manager during his time at Old Trafford. He said: “When I was there with him, he was a figure who you knew was in charge. He was on it, in his office with his pens, at 7.30am and he was on it. He was brilliant. “Carlo Ancelotti, Pep, Mourinho, Sir Alex, [Jurgen] Klopp, these are managers who are big characters who can carry a big club. There [are] a lot of egos in the big clubs, and you have to have that at those [kinds] of clubs. “He was in there at half seven in the morning and until 9 o’clock at night. I [have] seen it with my own eyes as I was at the academy. He works his socks off.” Perhaps it is Mourinho’s unstoppable work ethic and passion for the job that has seen him linked with a return to Spanish giants Real Madrid. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Mike Walsh Mike Walsh is an experienced freelance journalist who has written about a variety of topics over multiple years. He is very happy to finally be writing about the Red Devils, especially now that his favourite player, Michael Carrick, is in charge of the team.