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"Pele was talking cr*p" - Nicky Butt on Off The Ball

Listen to the full interview via the podcast  "Ed Woodward's told me there's a job there fo...



"Pele was talking cr*p"...
Soccer

"Pele was talking cr*p" - Nicky Butt on Off The Ball

Listen to the full interview via the podcast 

"Ed Woodward's told me there's a job there for life."

Nicky Butt knows he will be at Manchester United in some capacity as long as he wants to, but as of yet the former Class of 92 midfielder's future role within the club has not been cemented.

Fresh from ending a stint as a member former team-mate Ryan Giggs' coaching staff, the ex-England international and current Man United reserve team assistant coach was in Dublin and he sat down for a chat with Ger.

In the candid interview, he admitted that he had been offered managerial roles outside Old Trafford but had had good reason to turn them down.

"I've been offered three jobs but I didn't like the people I spoke to. I didn't like the way they were speaking about the previous managers. So I think that's a massive indication if you have been speaking about people who have been in charge of a club for a year or two years to somebody you've just met...I don't want them to speak about me like that in a year's time," said Butt.  

Butt also spoke about football philosophies and the challenges of coaching but also felt he benefited from experiencing life outside Old Trafford by transferring to Newcastle in 2004 before returning as a coach two years ago.

The instability at St James Park turned out to be something of a positive for him, having played for seven managers in six years.

Butt at Newcastle ©INPHO/Getty Images

"What I learned at Newcastle was to see how different managers work, different philosophies and how they treat people. That was good in a way because you weren't just looking at Sir Alex Ferguson and mirroring him and wanting to be like him," said Butt, who is already keeping tabs on players that he may potentially sign if he goes into full-time management at some point. But he told Ger that he is very happy and settled to be working with his boyhood club.

He also admitted that he did not enjoy TV punditry work and also touched on Pele's comments during the 2002 World Cup that he was the best England player at that tournament.

"It was more amazing for my family than it was for me because realistically he was talking crap," Butt said relatively bluntly, adding that he had met Pele a few years later and revealed that the Brazilian had said the praise offered was in fact genuine.

Butt also gave his take on England's World Cup chances and the young players that should start in Brazil.

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