Klopp, Guardiola or Ferguson wouldn't succeed at current Man Utd, says Class of '92 star

Martin Macdonald

• 30 Dec 2025 08:01 CST
• 2 min read

Nieuws

Former Manchester United midfielder and Class of '92 alumni Nicky Butt has lamented the current state of the club and doesn't think even Sir Alex Ferguson would succeed at Old Trafford in 2025.

The Red Devils have failed to win the Premier League since the legendary manager retired in 2013. Under his tenure between 1986 and 2013, the club won 13 Premier League titles as well as two Champions League titles, five FA Cups and four League Cups among other honours.

Numerous high-profile managers have tried and failed to replicate his success, while the current responsibility lies with Ruben Amorim. Under the Portuguese, the club had their worst Premier League season ever in 2024/25 though that campaign did start with Erik ten Hag in charge.

There are signs of improvement in 2025/26, but Man Utd are nowhere near the level of challenging for the title.

A lot of the criticism has been sent the way of the ownership, initially the Glazer family and now Ineos spearheaded by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

"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," Butt told FourFourTwo.

"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 s**tshow."

Who will Man Utd sign in January?

Amorim previously admitted that the club is ready to upset fans during the January transfer window – but he insists it is for the long-term good of his team.

Injuries and the form of some players has led to the demand from supporters for new arrivals.

“What we cannot do is reach January and try to do everything in urgency and make mistakes,” Amorim told Sky Sports after United were defeated by Aston Villa.

“Then it is here we go again with mistakes. If we have to suffer, the club comes first.

“Of course, we need points. You can feel at this moment we are going to suffer.”

The club has been linked with a number of central midfielders including Carlos Baleba and Elliot Anderson, but with those players likely to be costly, United may have to get inventive in the market.

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•App Store