Nicky Butt names the most underrated Man Utd player he played alongside, ‘should have had 50 caps for England’

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Former star Nicky Butt has picked out Steve Bruce as the most underrated player he ever saw.

Steve Bruce was a Manchester United legend who was one of the first great signings under Sir Alex Ferguson.

He was a cornerstone of Ferguson’s early United success, and struck up a great partnership in defence with Gary Pallister.

Bruce’s United career was coming towards an end as Nicky Butt was breaking through into the first team. The former midfielder believes that Bruce did not get the credit in the game that he truly deserved.

Steve Bruce: A legend for club, not recognised for country

Steve Bruce totalled 414 appearances for Manchester United between 1987 and 1996. He played an integral part in the club winning a first league title since the Sir Matt Busby era.

Despite this, Bruce was never capped at international level by England.

Speaking to The Good, The Bad & The Football, Butt was asked to pick out the most underrated player he played alongside, and did not hesitate to pick out Bruce.

He explained: “Steve Bruce for me, even though he was idolised at Man United, he should have had 50 caps for England.

“He never played for England, never got a cap.”

Butt added: “Not to play for England was ridiculous.”

England overlooking Bruce during his period of United success was a decision that failed to make sense at the time.

In addition to being a titan at the back, Bruce was also a potent goalscorer, netting 19 goals during the 1990/91 season.

England managers Bobby Robson, Graham Taylor and Terry Venables were responsible for overlooking Bruce.

Sir Alex Ferguson won’t have minded, preferring to have his players fresh and available at club level without the distraction of international football.

Bruce won three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup, one European Cup Winners’ Cup and one European Super Cup for Manchester United.

He was a fully valued key star in the United team, but was denied wider acclaim due to his lack of international opportunity.

Paul Scholes’ different response

Paul Scholes had a different choice of player when asked to pick out his most underrated teammate.

Scholes named Park Ji-Sung, a utility midfielder who carved out a reputation as a big game player.

He explained: “Ji-Sung Park was unbelievable. You talk about people working for the team… he scored some big goals.”

Park played 205 games for Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, playing an unheralded role during his time at the club between 2005 and 2012.

Unlike Bruce, Park was valued by his country, making 100 international appearances for South Korea.