Former Manchester United defender Alexander Buttner has revealed the moment he found out he was signing for the club back in 2012.
Alexander Buttner is a forgotten man by many Manchester United fans, 11 years after being signed by legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Buttner, who joined the club from Vitesse Arnhem in the summer of 2012, the same summer Robin Van Persie did, netted on his debut against Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford.
The marauding run and the calm finish from the left-back led to him being mobbed by his teammates, in would turn out to be his best moment for the club. Nick Powell, another forgotten man at Old Trafford, netted on his debut that day too.
Buttner on joining United
Speaking to The Mirror, the former United defender has opened up about how he ended up signing for the club and the moment he found out about the move.
“I was eating a big portion of chips with some mates and my brother when I got this call from my agent,” Buttner revealed. “It was quite weird because a few weeks before, I had been looking at clubs of a completely different level in England.
“Southampton, Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers. I was going to sign with one of those clubs, I thought. Now suddenly I was wanted by Manchester United?
“Then a week later my agent called me when I was in the chip shop and just said ‘Alex, it’s Manchester United.’ I just thought, ___ off, but he was really serious. Everyone around me looked at me and wondered what was going on.
“All my mates looked at me and I said ‘we are going to Manchester!’ Then everyone went crazy. The chip shop was upside down. It was such a great moment.”
Buttner’s time at United
The Dutch defender played just 26 times for the Red Devils but won a Premier League title in his first season with the club, which turned out to be Sir Alex Ferguson’s last before retiring.
He fell out of favour under David Moyes before having a falling out with Louis Van Gaal. The defender was eventually sold to Dynamo Moscow in 2014.
The Dutchman’s career has since taken him to Belgium, the USA and back to his homeland, the Netherlands. He now plays for second-tier club De Graafschap.
Buttner’s time at Old Trafford was short, but he can at least say he is a Premier League champion. Unlike Steven Gerrard.
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