Final to be Butt's United swansong?
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=301306&cc=4716
原文有點長
主要是訪問Butt的內容
Butt認為 FA Cup final 可能是他在曼聯
這段充滿傳奇和無數獎盃日子的終點站了
Nicky Butt has admitted that tomorrow's FA Cup final could mark the closing
chapter in his trophy-laden Manchester United career.
The long-serving midfielder spurned a move away from Old Trafford in January
despite a host of offers following his indication that he was willing to quit
his only professional club in the hunt for more first-team action.
The Gorton-born midfielder knows the situation will not get any easier next
year and though Sir Alex Ferguson would be loathe to part with such a loyal
mainstay of his squad, a parting of the ways could be inevitable.
'I made the decision to stay in January and I stand by that,' he said.
'But the manager might have different thoughts in the summer. I don't know
where I stand at the minute.
'If you leave Manchester United you are taking a step down. I am trying not
to think about it just now but I will look at it again after the summer is
over.'
Butt's decision to stay in January was justified to the extent that he made
more starts for United in the second half of the campaign than he had done in
the first and he also retained his place in Sven-Goran Eriksson's England
squad for this summer's European Championships.
The 29-year-old knows however, that his long-term prospects with the Red
Devils are not good.
Darren Fletcher's recent impressive form is likely to speed up his permanent
move into central midfield and with captain Roy Keane fit for tomorrow's
Millennium Stadium showpiece against Millwall, it is the young Scot and Phil
Neville who are vying for the single midfield vacancy.
Butt may even be squeezed off the bench, with the loser of the Fletcher-
Neville battle potentially joined by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Eric Djemba-Djemba
and Kleberson.
Birmingham, Everton and Middlesbrough were among the clubs to express an
interest in Butt during the transfer window and the option of heading to
Teesside to link up with former Old Trafford assistant Steve McClaren has now
become more appealing because they have landed a place in next season's UEFA
Cup.
The arrival of Butt's England team-mate Emile Heskey at St Andrews is an
indication that Steve Bruce's Blues mean business next season too, while
Liverpool are also in the market for a combative central midfield player,
even if the path between Old Trafford and Anfield is not a particularly well-
trodden one.
Butt is intelligent enough to know that any move away from United is likely
to diminish the tangible rewards from a career that has seen him pick up
eight major winner's medals, comprising six league titles, an FA Cup in 1996
and the Champions League three years later.
However, he still retains the desire to play that he had when he made his
debut as a 17-year-old against Oldham in 1992, the first of 386 appearances
for United, and is acutely aware the time left in his career is starting to
diminish.
'No-one in their right minds would want to leave Manchester United if they
were happy and playing football,' he said.
'But I wasn't doing that before January and I came to an agreement with the
manager that if the right club came in for me I would move on.
'There was a lot of interest and offers but I knew it had to be perfect.
'I didn't want to do anything silly and rush into a decision that I would
regret in the years that followed.
'Nothing that came up was perfect for me, which is why I decided to stick it
out.'
Even if Butt misses out tomorrow, he does at least have Euro 2004 to look
forward to.
After being hailed by Pele as one of the stars of the last World Cup, Butt
will be looking to make a similar impact in Portugal and despite his sense of
foreboding about the situation at United, he has not yet given up hope that
he will head to the finals with another medal in his back pocket.
'I've tried not to think about whether I will be playing or not,' he said.
'The build-up to the game is always quite exciting, so I have enjoyed that
and kept my fingers crossed that I will be involved.
'People think clubs like United are quite dismissive about the FA Cup but
that couldn't be further from the truth.
'It's a massive tournament and this final is as big for me as my first one
was against Everton in 1995.
'This season as a whole hasn't gone as well as we would have liked but there
is no point dwelling on it now. We have the chance to end the year on a high
and come away with a trophy.'
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