'A sh*tshow' - Nicky Butt claims Man Utd are still 'rotten from the bottom up' & makes bleak Premier League title prediction

Between 1995 and 2004, Butt collected six league titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League under Sir Alex Ferguson, embedding himself in a culture where winning was a habit. United’s struggles since Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 have been well documented. While there have been moments of silverware, FA Cup and Europa League successes, the Premier League crown has remained elusive. Runners-up finishes under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer briefly suggested progress, yet neither period delivered sustained momentum. Instead, the trajectory has dipped alarmingly. The 2024-25 campaign ended with United slumping to 15th under current boss Ruben Amorim, their worst league position since relegation in 1974. A Europa League final defeat to Tottenham compounded the disappointment, denying them a backdoor route into the Champions League.

Butt’s criticism is not aimed solely at the dugout. In an interview with FourFourTwo, he argued the problems are structural, stretching well beyond the manager’s office.

"For me, it’s fundamentally that the club is rotten from the bottom up at the minute," the United legend said. "If you brought prime Sir Alex Ferguson back in, he wouldn’t be able to turn it around straight away, it would still take time. If you put Pep Guardiola in there, or Jurgen Klopp, it wouldn’t work either." 

In Butt’s view, the decline in recruitment standards is decisive. United, he argues, are no longer able to attract, or correctly identify, players of the calibre that once made success inevitable. The consequence, he believes, is a painful reality check: supporters must accept that a genuine title push is likely still many years away.

He added: "Ultimately, I think the players we’re buying and the players that we’re able to buy aren’t at the level we used to have, so it’s about accepting the fact that it’s going to take five to eight years in order to get the club back to anywhere near winning the Premier League. It’s been a sh*tshow."

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Amorim appears to agree that quick fixes are dangerous. The Portuguese has repeatedly stressed that January recruitment will only happen if there is complete alignment with director of football Jason Wilcox over whether a signing truly improves the squad. United have been linked with numerous names ahead of the winter window, particularly in midfield and attack. One such target was Antoine Semenyo, but reports suggest the Bournemouth forward is now leaning towards Manchester City.

"Sometimes I have one idea, Jason and the board have another idea," Amorim said. "I think we did well [with our summer recruitment], but I think they have more to give. If you talk about (Matheus) Cunha, for example, Ayden (Heaven) is a young guy, but Cunha and Bryan (Mbeumo) are from here, from our league, so it is easier for them to perform."

United’s reluctance to gamble is complicated by an increasingly threadbare squad. Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo are all away at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire remain sidelined with injuries. Yet Amorim insists he will not compromise the club’s long-term plan simply to plug short-term gaps.

"The only thing that we will try to bring now – and in the end of the season – are players that are perfect for our future," Amorim said before United’s 2-1 Premier League defeat against Aston Villa.

"It's not going to be to save something in this moment, to cope with the losses of three players for AFCON. It’s not going to be like that. Even if we try to bring one player, maybe it's not the position that we need more. So I don't know what is going to happen, but it's possible that we can do something."

Amorim remains determined to inspire United back into the Champions League. They enter their upcoming clash with Wolves just three points off fourth place, and will be expected to see off the Premier League's bottom side to boost their chances of a European berth.