Nicky Butt says Manchester United must regret letting academy graduate Angel Gomes leave because the midfielder continues to thrive in France.
Gomes joined the academy at age six, and was tipped for giant things after making his debut for the first-team in 2017, aged just 16.
Nonetheless, the midfielder found opportunities limited under each Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, making just ten appearances in all competitions before leaving the club on a free transfer.
After United, Gomes joined French club Lille and has flourished in a deeper midfield role, even earning his maiden call-up to England’s senior squad under Lee Carsley in 2024.
United were linked with a move for Gomes in the summertime after he signalled his intention to go away Lille, however the 25-year-old as an alternative opted to stay in France and sign with Marseille.
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‘They’ve just sold two of the academy products who at the moment are shining at other clubs – Rashford and McTominay,’ Butt told The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast.
‘And the previous United midfielder was quick so as to add Gomes to that list, remarking: ‘He’s absolutely flying at Marseille.’
Gomes is considered one of several United academy graduates who’ve gone on to enjoy success away from the pressure-cooker environment at Old Trafford.
And Butt, himself a member of the famed Class of ’92, says serious changes are needed at Carrington to get United’s academy back to its best.
‘With hindsight, it is simple to say, and it’s easier for 2 old Man United players who got here through the academy to say ‘that’s rubbish, that’s not great’,’ he said.
‘But I’m telling you understand – and I don’t care what anyone says, I don’t care if I get slagged off for saying it – Man Utd is like Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona: they’re institutions, not only football clubs.
‘And I don’t care who comes into the football club, unless you’ve got people who know what it takes to get from there to there [the academy to the first team], then you definitely are p****** against the wind.’
Butt’s former teammate, Paul Scholes, went further, saying: ‘Consider who we had watching us after we got here through.
‘We had Bobby Charlton in his suit, looking smart, representing the club and watching us train.
‘Bryan Robson got here and watched us train, Dennis Irwin, Nobby Stiles as our coach, Brian Kidd.
‘The coaches and the people behind the scenes were riddled with the history of the club. I don’t see any of that now.’
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