MU legend speaks frankly about Enzo Maresca

A Manchester United legend has delivered an “ultimatum” to the club’s hierarchy after rumors surfaced about Enzo Maresca potentially taking over as the Red Devils’ head coach.

Ruben Amorim was dismissed mid-season, placing Manchester United in a difficult position. They have limited options right now. Enzo Maresca – recently sacked by Chelsea – has emerged as the leading candidate.

However, for some of the most loyal Red Devils, this has sparked outrage. One of them is Nicky Butt, who made nearly 400 appearances for MU and once led the academy. Butt stated he respects Maresca’s abilities, but for a true MU fan, the Italian coach’s ties to Manchester City are unacceptable.

“If Maresca comes, I like him as a coach, honestly, but with that ‘background,’ I would give up my season ticket.”, Butt said on The Good, The Bad and The Football program as a direct warning to the INEOS-led ownership group.

For Butt, the issue is not about skill. Maresca trained as an assistant under Pep Guardiola at Etihad before managing Leicester City and Chelsea. He is viewed as a representative of a “football culture” that directly clashes with the history and identity MU prides itself on.

The former midfielder argued that the club has eroded its “soul” by appointing former Man City personnel to key positions. Omar Berrada becoming CEO and Jason Wilcox taking football operations roles raised doubts among some traditionalists, but hiring a coach from the same “school” would be the last straw.

When Paul Scholes bluntly asked if Butt was serious about boycotting the team he loves, Butt emphasized the “tribal” nature of Manchester football:

“You misunderstood me. I can’t sit here talking about Man United’s philosophy and DNA, then say: ‘Yeah, I want Maresca – a former Man City man.’ Then there’s Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox too. I don’t care how successful they are. People forget where I come from. Everyone is a City fan. I’m a Man United fan and I can’t accept that.”Butt stated.

Butt’s remarks strike a chord with the growing concerns among the Old Trafford fanbase.MU seems to be trying to mimic the “noisy neighbor” instead of rediscovering itself.

After a disastrous 2024/25 season that left them out of European competition this year, MU shows more promise in the first half of 2025/26: currently 6th, just 3 points behind 4th-placed Liverpool, hoping to choose the right replacement for Amorim to return to the Champions League.

Another MU legend, Gary Neville, has urged the board to restore the cultural values built by Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Alex Ferguson: fast-paced, attacking football that is daring and trusts academy talent.