Signed from: Youth team
Debut: 3-0 win vs Oldham Athletic (sub), November 21st 1992
League Record: 210 games (+60 as sub), 21 goals
Sold to: Newcastle United (£2,500,000), July 2004
Another promotion from the famous 1992 youth team, Nicky was a Manchester lad brought up in the Gorton district – a tough area reflected in the man’s no-nonsense style. There have been many more talented lads to put on the shirt, but none could better Butt’s commitment.
His debut came at a point where we were in a major slump of form – any momentum from finishing second in 1991/92 seemed to have vanished in the first season of the Premiership as we went seven league games without winning. The 3-0 win over local rivals Oldham steadied the ship before the next entry would arrive to change just about everything.
Nicky began to establish himself in 1994/95, after the departure of Bryan Robson saw him move to become first in line for a place when injuries hit the main midfield duo. When Paul Ince left in the summer, he stepped in and looked very impressive through 1995/96: aggressive in the tackle, good on the ball and a tidy passer, he looked set to develop into the equal of his predecessor.
It never *quite* worked out for him, sadly, which seems an odd thing to say about someone who made over 250 appearances and played for England 39 times. Yet he was rarely ever a first choice at United, always getting his 30 or so games a season, rarely letting anyone down - it’s a cliché to say, but at just about any other club in England, he’d have been a crucial part of the team.
He did his part in the Treble glories of 1999 - suspensions saw him start the Champions League final, where he did his best in holding the line against Bayern Munich until we made our heroic last dash rush to victory.
As the 21st century rolled through its initial years, he found himself pushed down the pecking order, though he still managed to play well enough at the 2002 World Cup to earn plaudits from Pele, of all people. By 2005, he was sick of losing out to people who should never have been allowed near a red shirt and he was put on the transfer list at his request. He moved to Newcastle, where he put in plenty of hard work, including becoming club captain, before retiring in 2011 after a short spell playing out in China.
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