‘I’m a Man Utd legend – I had offers from Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City after leaving’

Manchester United icon Nicky Butt revealed he could have joined rivals Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal upon his departure from Old Trafford but declined. Perhaps not the most celebrated member of the famed Class of ’92, midfielder Butt was a key component in Sir Alex Ferguson’s dominant Red Devils throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

Having secured eight Premier League crowns, three FA Cups, and the coveted Champions League trophy in 1999, Butt decided it was time to end his distinguished spell at United – a decision made just one year after David Beckham’s high-profile switch to Real Madrid – leading him to Newcastle in 2004, before later returning to Carrington to take on various academy roles.

Yet, he may not been welcomed back with such open arms had he made the decision to jump ship to one of his long-time employer’s top-flight rivals.

“I remember when I was leaving United – when I knew it was time to leave – I got asked to join [Man] City off Stuart Pearce, he rang me up!” Butt recounted to former team-mate Scholes on their Football’s Greatest podcast. “I said: ‘I’ll have a think about it.’ But I knew: ‘No, it can’t happen.’ I just wanted to get him off the phone, to be fair!

“There was no way I was going because of my dynamic in my house. My family life would have been… I’m all right. I’m out the way, but my brother and all that. It would have been a nightmare. I would never have been able to play for City.

“I got asked to speak to Liverpool – never gonna happen. Arsenal – never gonna happen. I knew my mind was set on Newcastle. So for me, the real rivalry thing for United would have been impossible. Liverpool was impossible, yeah. No matter what they were gonna give you.”

Butt endured a rollercoaster six-year stint with Newcastle, punctuated by a loan spell at Birmingham City under his former colleague Steve Bruce, before rounding off his career with a brief tenure in China.

It wasn’t just the trio of aforementioned heavyweights vying for his signature either when he decided to call it quits at United – but Butt’s heart was set on St. James’s Park, reports the Mirror.

“Tottenham [also] asked me,” Butt revealed. “But I just wasn’t interested. I was interested in joining Newcastle because I’d played there for England U19s and loved the atmosphere. It wasn’t too far from Manchester, there was no real hatred between the fans, Sir Bobby (Robson) was a god and the first team was very good.

“I had a tough start. I was injured when I first signed I just didn’t tell the club that. But I was Newcastle’s captain for two years. It wasn’t too bad.”