Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt FUME about 'Man City-fication' of Man United's backroom staff: 'It wouldn't happen at Barcelona or Real Madrid'

Manchester United legends Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt have hit out at the apparent trend of their former club hiring executives and backroom staff from their crosstown rivals Man City in a new interview. 

The Red Devils are enduring a footballing moment that Scholes and Butt at the height of their Old Trafford careers could scarcely have imagined, with the side finishing last season in 15th under Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim. 

The 2025-26 campaign has also started on a down note, with Man United quickly knocked out of the Carabao Cup by League Two minnows Grimsby Town. 

Amorim was hired by Man United in the first year under club's new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Monaco-based petrochemicals billionaire committed to overhauling the years of stagnation that has followed the 2013 departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. 

As well as recruitment on-the-pitch, Ratcliffe has re-structured the hierarchy behind-the-scenes at Old Trafford, with eye-catching hires including former Man City Chief Football Operations Officer Omar Berrada. 

But according to Scholes and Butt, the influx of former Man City staff could be having an impact on club culture. 

'You've got (director of football) Jason Wilcox, (chief executive) Omar Berrada, then there's others (who previously worked at City),' Scholes told the Times. 'I don't think Manchester United should do that.

'City have been good for the past ten years, so we hope they bring a bit of that, but it's not what a Manchester United person would want. It's not what we want and it's probably not what the fans want either.' 

As well as Wilcox - who worked at Man City between 2012 and 2023 - and Berrada, Man United have also recruited Stephen Torpey to head United's academy, and the club are thought to be in talks with former Man City youth coach Alan Wright. 

Although Man City have seen a period of unprecedented Premier League success during the tenures of those joining United, Scholes remained dubious about whether they would understand the importance of working for the red side of Manchester.  

'You talk about DNA, there's nobody there who knows what a Manchester United person is,' he continued. 'Darren Fletcher (the under-18s coach) is the only one who knows anything about what it's like to be a Manchester United player. 

'And look, you don't always have to be the best player, but you just have to have the balls to be able to play for the club, don't you?'

Butt added that it was 'unbelievable' that 'every City staff member goes to Man United now. 

'Real Madrid wouldn't do it with Barcelona or vice versa,' he stressed. 

'If you have a DNA that's solid, you should go and handpick the really good coaches - United did that with Kieran McKenna (now the manager of Ipswich Town). 

You see a shining light at Tottenham and bring him in and he teaches you things, but right now there's no one (from United's history) except Darren Fletcher.'

Both Butt and Scholes were speaking from experience, having risen through Man United's youth ranks at former training ground The Cliff before creating their own legacies in the senior team. 

Butt in particularly was concerned by the changing ethos at the youth team, insisting that a desire to win had been taken off the development agenda. 

'I'm sick to death of hearing people at Man United's academy saying, "It's not about winning. It's about the experience,"' Butt continued. 'It f***ing is about winning, because if you've never won anything from 13 all the way up, how are you expected to go and win at the first team?'

The former midfielder added that 'if it's not about winning', then it was clear coaches were 'at the wrong football club'.