The inside story of the verbal feud between Manchester United and the Class of '92 revealed! The icy relationship didn’t form overnight; both sides share the blame.

Following Carrick’s appointment, Manchester United secured a 2-0 win against Manchester City, gaining positive momentum. Yet, the bond between the club and the renowned Class of '92 golden generation deteriorated sharply. United’s defensive rock Lisandro Martínez responded to pre-match taunts from Scholes and Nicky Butt, igniting a verbal clash between present players and former stars.

Before the match, Scholes and Butt joked on a show with host Paddy McGuinness that Haaland could carry the 175cm-tall Lima around Old Trafford while running. During the game, the Argentine international shut down Haaland and after the win openly criticized, "Everyone can voice their opinions on TV, but when you face them in person, no one says anything anymore."

In response, Scholes and Butt praised Lima’s performance but once again criticized his mentality. "I genuinely applaud him for winning one-on-one battles against the world’s best striker. Here, we just want to say, well done! He played exceptionally well," Butt said on "Good, Bad & Football."

However, he then shifted tone: "But I also feel that because some people say infuriating things on podcasts or English media and claim they can say whatever they want, even inviting others ‘to my house’, they should grow up! If you get so emotional over what others say about you, you really shouldn’t be at a big club like Manchester United."

Giggs, Beckham, Scholes, and the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil, along with Butt, are known as Manchester United’s Class of '92. They all came through the club’s youth system and played key roles in Sir Alex Ferguson’s treble-winning era, collectively making 3,448 appearances for the club.

Not only as players, but after David Moyes was sacked in 2014, Giggs served as interim manager for four games and later became Van Gaal’s assistant. During Giggs’ managerial stint, Butt, Scholes, and Phil Neville were also part of the coaching staff.

Butt also worked as a youth coach and academy director at Manchester United. He was appointed academy director in 2016 but left in 2021. To this day, Butt remains deeply committed to United’s youth development. On a rainy night last December 15, he braved the weather with club staff to Merseyside, representing the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation in charity football training for underprivileged children. Hours later, United played Bournemouth at Old Trafford, but that didn’t stop Butt from dedicating himself to the cause.

However, Butt’s departure from the club’s youth system was not smooth. He strongly opposed the club leadership’s view that youth development has nothing to do with winning. Butt was clearly unhappy with United’s management and publicly revealed that club commercial staff once threatened to cancel his season ticket.

Gary Neville is the Class of '92 member who appeared most frequently at Old Trafford and now works as a Sky Sports pundit. Before Carrick’s first game, Neville was allowed into the players’ tunnel to interview him. Last December, United officially announced a partnership with the Class of '92’s youth academy "UA92" (University Academy 92), with Neville attending the ceremony.

In October, Giggs returned to Old Trafford for a "training experts" meeting and criticized then-United manager Ralf Rangnick’s stubborn insistence on using tactics that employed inverted wingers. The connection between United and the Class of '92 remains, and their views on the team still attract attention. Unfortunately, most of their comments tend to be negative.

Before Rangnick was dismissed, at a controversial press conference ahead of a Leeds United match, he complained that the club overly valued the opinions of legends, specifically naming Gary Neville. Although Neville’s record as a manager was not impressive, as a Sky Sports commentator and expert, his views are highly regarded by fans.

Gary Neville admitted that the relationship between the Class of '92 players and the club is not smooth. This tension may be closely tied to commercial interests, especially concerning the "Football Hotel" built 50 yards across from Old Trafford by the Class of '92, where they often watch games with guests on matchdays.

The hotel is excellently located and popular among fans, which has made the Glazer family, Manchester United’s owners, quite envious. They once tried to block its construction. However, the hotel was built and is still operating, occasionally used by the United team. Still, the Glazers clearly prefer such a profitable hotel to be under their ownership.

Neville emphasized that the conflict has been resolved. "That was just a theory; a few years ago there were some worrying issues, but they’ve been settled," Neville said. "I think now there are no problems at all. The Class of '92 really want the club to succeed, and every time the team loses, we are all very disappointed and frustrated."

Manchester United’s Chief Operating Officer Collette Roche shares a similar view. "Many of our former players now work in media, so naturally they have their own opinions about the club," she said. "That’s nothing wrong. But the Class of '92 is part of the Manchester United family, and our connection with them runs much deeper than recent news reports or podcast content."

Perhaps the criticism from United legends is a bit excessive, but don’t current players bear responsibility? They have failed to perform at the level expected at Manchester United, despite earning multiples of what the Class of '92 legends received. For comparison, Giggs’ first professional contract paid £170 per week plus a £300 appearance fee! After rising to fame, his weekly wage increased to around £70,000, similar to today’s Cody Mené.

Years ago, Giggs recalled how, as a young player, Manchester United coaches kept him grounded. On November 29, 1990, when Giggs was 17, he signed his first professional contract, raising his weekly wage from £29 to £170. Sir Alex Ferguson told him he could decide whether to continue attending school, but Giggs disliked school and wanted to quit.

That Thursday, while queuing for food at the Cliff training ground canteen, someone tapped Giggs on the shoulder. Looking up, he saw youth coach Eric Harrison. "What are you doing here?" Harrison asked. Giggs said he was a professional player and didn’t need to go to school anymore. Harrison ordered him to put down his tray immediately and take a bus to school.

Giggs had to leave the canteen on an empty stomach, take the No. 52 bus, and enter the classroom halfway through the lesson. The future Welsh winger suspected that Ferguson and Harrison staged this "double act" to remind him that although he had signed a professional contract, his journey was just beginning.

Giggs also revealed that he had to travel alone to youth matches and sometimes took the wrong bus, panicking at the thought of being late. Nowadays, players enjoy high salaries and meticulous care, yet they still complain about harsh criticism from the outside world.

Giggs said, "The reality now is that players’ basic income is so high and substantial that it’s hard not to lose reason, becoming overly excited or impulsive. If your salary is already among the top, how can you focus fully on working hard to become a better player?"

Some fans defend current players, even comparing Toni Kroos’ comments on Real Madrid’s current crisis with the Class of '92. This is somewhat ironic because the atmosphere at Bernabéu is far harsher than at Manchester United, where fans wave white handkerchiefs and boo sharply when their team underperforms.

When Xabi Alonso was dismissed, his win rate was over 70%, and the "crisis-hit Real Madrid" currently sits second in La Liga, just one point behind leaders Barcelona! Moreover, they qualify for the Champions League knockout stages every year. If Manchester United players had to endure the pressure Real Madrid faces, they probably wouldn’t last long. Conversely, if United reached Real Madrid’s level, most external criticism, including from the Class of '92, would likely disappear. Some fans forget that when Solskjaer managed United, Neville jokingly said he wanted to erect a statue for him, but later people mocked Neville for overpraising.

Scholes responded to Lima’s counterattack by saying, "Not long ago we exchanged messages on social media, and he was unhappy with what I said. I can’t recall the details, but he said he no longer respects me at all. I gave him my phone number, but I never received any message from him."

Of course, some opinions from United legends may stem from old grudges. For example, Roy Keane’s criticism of Carrick carries a personal tone; Carrick’s wife Lisa once publicly called Keane a jerk after he criticized her husband. Keane was once expelled by Ferguson for angrily berating teammates, and his blunt style is personal, not solely aimed at Manchester United.

The conclusion is simple: current Manchester United players need to significantly improve their performance and results, while the legends should reduce their public commentary.