Tuesday 16 February 2016 20:13, UK
Nicky Butt says Manchester United must go back to producing 'one-club' players if it is to return to the top of English and European football.
The former United and England midfielder, who formed part of the famed 'Class of '92' at Old Trafford, was appointed the club's new head of academy on Tuesday.
The 41-year-old played 387 games between 1992 and 2004, winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League during his time at the club, and he would like his legacy as a coach to herald a similar golden period.
"You don't just come here to play 10 games and move on to another club," he told MUTV. "We want them to be here for many years. We want another Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville or Paul Scholes, these one-club guys who play here for many years and contribute to the club.
"That's what our aim is. We're very proud when they make their debuts, very proud when they have careers in the Championship and League One but, ultimately, the aim is to provide top-class players for Manchester United that can go on to win the Champions League.
"We know it's very, very hard to do that but it has got to be the ultimate goal and everyone knows that."
Butt appeared to reference United's rivals Manchester City and their state of the art academy when he said it was important for him and his staff to keep young players grounded and ensure they were not given too much too young.
He said: "There's a lot of stuff in the papers about how other clubs have got x, y and z. We don't believe they should have that much at an early age.
"We keep them grounded and humble with the right facilities for the team to play in but, as important as the good things, we've got to make it hard for them as well. A lot of lads get it too easy and, when it becomes hard, they don't know how to deal with it. It's our job to find the balance.
"You've got to have a bit of the hard stuff as well, got to have a bit of a slog, play on bad surfaces, sometimes play against bad teams, bad crowds, with wind and rain-swept pitches. Football is not always about Old Trafford, the Nou Camp or the Bernabeu."
