Gary Neville takes on a new global role at Manchester United post-Ferguson, while Nicky Butt recalls insulting Kevin Keegan after losing a £1,000 bet.
Butt Insulted Keegan After Losing a £1,000 Bet
Nicky Butt has shared that Kevin Keegan ignored him for weeks after the ex-Manchester United midfielder mentioned Newcastle United’s title disappointment.
Geordies certainly don’t need reminding of the dominant position Newcastle were in back in January 1996, or what unfolded in the final months of that season when Manchester United closed the 12-point gap on the Magpies.
Butt won his first title at Manchester United before moving to Newcastle in 2004. A few years later, he found himself playing under Keegan again when the Magpies legend returned for a second stint. Tensions flared after Butt and teammate Michael Owen lost a game of head tennis to Keegan and assistant Terry McDermott.
“It got a bit tetchy,” Butt told Football’s Greatest. “We had money on it. I remember Kevin Keegan going to me, ‘You Man United players don’t like losing!’
“I went, ‘We never lost because you s— yourselves.’ He didn’t speak to me properly for about three weeks. Honestly.
“Anyway, he beat us so it was about £1,000 each so I went to the bank in the morning and I ordered a grand of 2ps and Michael got a grand of 5ps. We went into the office and he wasn’t there so we put the 2ps all over his table. It was all over the floor.
“I was sitting in the canteen thinking, ‘He’s going to find it funny because he’s such a nice, engaging guy.’ He snapped because he still had what I said to him two weeks earlier in his head.”
Gary Neville’s New Global Role at Man United Post-Ferguson
Gary Neville, former Manchester United captain, has secured a new role at the club just days after Sir Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial contract ended. The 49-year-old had been working as a freelance ambassador for the Reds in India, according to The Sun.
Neville participated in a panel at the Minerva Academy in Mohali, traveling to India for Apollo Tyres’ flagship grassroots football initiative, part of the ‘United We Play’ program. The tyre company states that the program aims to “help the next generation of players achieve their full potential and reach peak performance.”
The report suggests that Neville’s trip was just one of several duties he has with the club. In addition to his ambassadorial role, the former England international frequently appears on broadcast duties in both the UK and the United States. A picture from the occasion shows him talking, with the Manchester United badge visible in the background.
Neville isn’t the only former United player involved in ambassadorial roles with the club. He is also part of the stadium task force alongside Sir Jim Ratcliffe, exploring plans for a ‘Wembley of the North.’ Since Ineos acquired a minority stake in the club, around 250 staff members have been laid off, with Ferguson being the latest high-profile departure.
The iconic manager had been on a multi-million-pound deal, but Ratcliffe has implemented several cost-cutting measures since taking charge of football operations. Ferguson will complete the rest of the 2024-25 season before his contract expires.
The legendary Treble-winning manager stayed away from Old Trafford last Saturday after news of his departure broke. Instead, he watched his former club, Aberdeen, rally from behind to secure a 2-2 draw against Celtic. Reports also suggested that Ferguson had been banned from United’s dressing room, while supporters showed their appreciation for the 82-year-old during the 2-1 victory over Brentford.
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