Nicky Butt’s decision to quit Manchester United came as a surprise yesterday. The Treble winner had spent nine years on the staff and overseen an overhaul of the academy.
Immediately, fans began to wonder if it could possibly have anything to do with the club’s restructuring, with John Murtough appointed director of football and Darren Fletcher as technical director, earlier this month.
Butt’s official title was ‘head of first team development’.
United claim Butt’s exit was due to a desire to find a new challenge, and while this may be true, it does not tell the whole story.
The Athletic claim Butt quit for two reasons. The first was that he was overlooked for both the director of football and technical director role.
The second reason is alleged to be the club’s handling of the appointments, with the report claiming: “club officials failed to communicate the coming changes directly in advance,” to Butt.
The report added “Butt could not countenance Murtough effectively becoming his line manager.”
Analysis
This is worrying because it shines a light on the way United do business behind the scenes, and it does not appear to be pretty.
Ed Woodward, chief executive, will have overseen this restructuring and he must take responsibility for this.
The botched handling of the restructure has effectively cost United the services of Butt.
Had he been consulted on the changes in advance, with it alleged he was not, perhaps he would have stayed or been talked around.
There was optimism when Murtough was appointed as director of football, but there was also scepticism.
The fears were that this was simply a re-titling of his previous role, and as an internal candidate, he won’t make the changes required to push United to the next level.
Some of these criticisms may be misguided, but given United’s failure over the past seven years, and the way the club is run under the Glazers, the fears are understandable.
It is up to Murtough and Fletcher to prove their worth, and they will get the benefit of the doubt this summer at least.
Perhaps United could not have held onto Butt forever, but it feels like this was an unnecessary departure, with The Athletic claiming he has no job offers lined up – although something could of course now come his way.
It’s unclear if Butt will be replaced at all, or his role will be amalgamated into somebody else’s.
Reaction
Here is a look at how some United fans reacted to the report on why Butt left…
- Sir Alex Ferguson’s approach to Lisandro Martinez proves why ‘writing off’ Man Utd star is now premature
- The Man Utd coach connection behind Tynan Thompson’s big career accomplishment
- Michael Carrick could still implement Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd ‘plan’ for post-World Cup, he saw it in action
- Godwill Kukonki now has extra motivation to sign a long-term Manchester United deal
- Senne Lammens already knows how to conquer his World Cup setback and answer is in his first Man Utd words
- Tynan Thompson’s transfer is not a gamble by Man Utd, £1m steal in 2025 is the success template
- Man United fans have made up their mind about selling Lisandro Martinez after his World Cup final injury
- After watching World Cup final, I saw Marcus Rashford ‘smokescreen’ lifted after £76m-rated player’s impact
- Man United have a centre-back pairing for the next decade, Michael Carrick needs to test it in pre-season
- Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo have both matched World Cup milestone of three other former Man Utd players
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