Nicky Butt has recalled a powerful memory involving Jose Mourinho when the former Manchester United and Chelsea manager was in charge at Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho, who is now at Benfica, was the third Manchester United manager permanently appointed in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era of the Premier League club.
The 62-year-old Portuguese coach arrived at Old Trafford in 2016 after his second managerial spell with Premier League side Chelsea came to an end in 2015.
Mourinho replaced Louis van Gaal in the United hot seat after his predecessor was sacked from the club following the Red Devils’ FA Cup triumph in 2016.
The ‘Special One’ had a successful first season at Old Trafford, with United lifting both the League Cup and the Europa League trophy in the 2016-17 season.
Mourinho’s second season saw United finish second in the Premier League title race behind Manchester City and the Red Devils fell short in the FA Cup final to Chelsea.
Nicky Butt says Jose Mourinho did something that Sir Alex Ferguson put a lot of focus on at Man Utd
Nicky Butt was working behind the scenes at Old Trafford with the Manchester United youth academy during Jose Mourinho’s reign at the Premier League club.
The 50-year-old United legend has admitted that Mourinho receives an unfair reputation for what he did with academy talent in his legendary managerial career.
Speaking on ‘The Good, The Bad & The Football,’ Butt has explained that Mourinho was the best United manager with the academy outside of Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I think Mourinho does get a lot of bad stick for that [how he handled academy talent]. But I remember in United,” he said.
Interjecting Butt’s verdict on Mourinho, Paul Scholes said: “You liked him, really? Really liked him?”
Butt then continued: “He was brilliant. He was unbelievable.
“Probably when I was there, apart from Sir Alex, [he] was the best one that looked after the academy side of it.
“I know everyone sees this big superstar manager who just wants to go there for two years, win, tick his CV. It was far from that at Man United.”
Nicky Butt reveals the incredible class that Jose Mourinho showed to the Man Utd youth academy
Butt had served as head of the academy at United and head of first-team development before the ‘Class of ‘92’ star left Old Trafford in 2021.
The former United and England midfielder recalled the touching encounter that Mourinho had with the Red Devils academy talent who were heading off to Portugal.
“He [came] into it,” Butt continued, before adding: “Our young kids were going to Portugal for a tournament or something. They were like 15-year-olds.
“Next minute, he [came] into the classroom. They were playing a game on a Saturday. This was on the Friday.
“So, he’s on a big day before the game. He’s got the press. He’s got the training. He’s got to do [a lot].”
Butt then explained: “And he [came] in and he [gave] a 20-minute speech to these kids about how Portuguese mentality around football and how to behave when you go out in Portugal.
“And it was unbelievable. All the kids were like, ‘Ah, it’s Mourinho!’ And from then on, he was phenomenal with the academy side of [things].”
Mourinho saw his time at United come to an end in the 2017-18 season after the ‘Special One’ was axed in 2018 and replaced by club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
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