Nicky Butt Calls for Manchester United to Focus on Depth Over Star Power

Nicky Butt has seen enough of Manchester United’s recent transfer windows to know what he doesn’t like.

For the former midfielder, the obsession with marquee names and headline-grabbing deals has dragged the club away from what once made it ruthless: depth, competition, and a bench that scared opponents as much as the starting XI. Now, he wants United to change course – and he has a very specific type of signing in mind.

Butt’s blueprint: less glitz, more grit

Speaking to Paddy Power, Butt laid it out plainly. United, he argued, can’t keep chasing only “superstar signings” while neglecting the rest of the squad. The club, in his eyes, has been far too top-heavy for far too long.

“We've got to build the squad, the bench has got to be stronger,” he said, pointing to a problem that has been obvious in the biggest games. When injuries hit or legs tire, United’s level drops off a cliff. Title-winning sides don’t allow that to happen.

He referenced one moment that stuck with him: the defeat to Leeds at Old Trafford last season. United’s starting XI looked strong enough on paper. The supporting cast did not.

“When United played Leeds at Old Trafford last season and they got beat, the players on the bench and around the squad weren’t good enough,” Butt recalled. “When they're all fit they’re really good but they still need to build the squad so I'd be going for some players like that as well.”

The message is clear: depth isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity.

Summerville catches the eye

Into that conversation steps a name that will raise eyebrows: Summerville.

Currently at West Ham and fresh from an eye-catching start to life with the Netherlands, the 24-year-old winger has forced his way into the wider European conversation. His goal in a 2-2 draw against Japan sharpened that focus, and United are understood to be monitoring him as they weigh up new attacking options.

Butt likes what he sees – with a caveat.

"He's an explosive player, he's good to watch, but I don't think he's consistent enough," he admitted. That honesty matters. This isn’t anointing a new superstar. It’s identifying a player who fits a very specific role in a rebuilt squad.

Summerville brings pace, direct running, and unpredictability – the kind of attributes that can tilt a tight game when introduced from the bench or given a run in the side. Butt believes that, at the right price, he’s exactly the sort of signing United should be targeting.

“The money shouldn’t be a lot to get him, and United have to build a squad,” Butt said. That line cuts to the heart of his argument: United need more players in that middle bracket – not just academy hopefuls and £80m centrepieces, but hungry, high-ceiling professionals who can push the established names.

High ceiling, work in progress

Butt doesn’t gloss over Summerville’s flaws. Consistency, he stresses, remains the big question. One impressive performance for the Netherlands, even a “brilliant” one as he described it, doesn’t suddenly make him a guaranteed starter at Old Trafford for the next five years.

“Summerville was brilliant for the Netherlands in the first game, so he could potentially start every week for Man United,” Butt said, before immediately tempering that idea. “I'm looking at him thinking he’s got to get a lot more consistent to get to the next level. But I'd still definitely look at signing a player like him."

That balance is telling. This isn’t a call for United to build around Summerville. It’s a call for them to stock the squad with players of his profile: explosive, ambitious, affordable, and still with room to grow.

In Butt’s view, the winger’s ceiling is high enough to justify serious interest. The risk is manageable; the upside, if United can polish his game and demand more reliability, is significant.

A different kind of arms race

Look at the teams United are trying to catch. Their strength isn’t just in the names on the team sheet at kick-off. It’s in the next four or five who can come on and maintain – or raise – the standard.

“When you play a team and see their starting 11 but then they’ve got another four that can come on and make a difference, that’s massive,” Butt said. He has lived that reality. During his own playing days, United sides under Sir Alex Ferguson routinely won titles because their “second string” would be first choice almost anywhere else.

That is the gap he believes United must close. Not just by landing the next global superstar, but by filling out the squad with players who can change games, protect leads, and keep the intensity high when rotation kicks in.

Summerville, in that sense, becomes more than just a transfer rumour. He represents a test of whether United are ready to think differently about how they build.

Do they double down on the glamour, or finally start assembling a squad that can go the distance?