Nicky Butt previews Academy 2020/21 season and challenges ahead

“There are going to be young sides, which can bring challenges within itself,” Butt told us. “As a club, the fans, supporters and everyone involved, knows our goal is to get players into the first team.

“We’re the best at that, we’re still getting players into the first team now, and that’s the be all and end all. With that, we want to give the kids the environment to become winners and enjoy their football. Young people enjoy it when they’re winning all the time and scoring goals. So it’s a very fine balance.

“We’ve got to do what we feel is the best way, giving young people a chance by playing them young in competitions and letting them make mistakes, letting them get a beating and letting us all sit there in the changing room really disappointed.

“If you look at them around the changing room, you know they’re getting beat but they’re going to become players and it’s much, much better than looking at older boys, who are past that level, winning games and there’s no end product.