Butt: I'm proud to work for the club I've supported all my life

Following the news that Nicky Butt is replacing Brian McClair as the head of Manchester United academy, our former midfielder has discussed what it means to him to be given this position at the club.

I’m very proud. I think it’s a massive job and something I’m going to be passionate about. Now it’s time to move forward and move the club back to where we feel it should be – we’re still producing some great players for the first team, as we’ve always done for many, many years but we always need to look forward. We can’t stand still as a team in any area of the club. I’ve had reassurances about where we’re going so it’s all positive.

When you come as a young kid, passionate about football and my local team, certainly one you support all your life, you start at this club with your eyes wide open and so is your mouth. You can’t believe the size of the place but slowly and surely you get used to it and it becomes just part of your life. When you’re younger, you take it for granted. I think you do, so credit to the people that have run this club for so long and worked here to keep you grounded and make you welcome. They change your mindset so it becomes the norm, which it is not really – playing for such a big club like this at any age group is not the norm. Most kids around the world would die for this, so it was massive for me as a kid, big when I got into the first team, big when I came back to do my coaching and it is again now I’m heading the Academy.