BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Newcastle United (original) (raw)

Newcastle have completed the signing of Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt on a four-year deal.

The 29-year-old, who has been at Old Trafford for 13 years, has moved for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of �2.5m.

"Nicky Butt has officially completed his transfer from Manchester United," said a Newcastle spokesman.

"The player has signed a four-year contract and has been given squad number four for the new season."

Butt, who started as a trainee with United in 1991, was with the club on their American tour but flew home to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical with the Magpies.

NICKY BUTT'S CAREER 1991: Signs trainee forms with Man Utd 1992: Makes Man Utd debut as sub for Paul Ince 1994: Appears in FA Cup final defeat to Everton 1996: Wins Premiership and FA Cup double 1997: Makes England debut against Mexico 1999: No longer a regular in midfield but plays in Champions League final 2001: Wins fifth Premiership medal 2002: Enjoys a superb World Cup with England but misses start of season with injury 2004: Hands in transfer request in January but stays at club 29 July: Signs for Newcastle

Newcastle have been trailing Butt for a while and view him as the ideal replacement for Gary Speed, who has moved to Bolton.

Butt won six Premiership titles as a United player and is firmly established in the England squad.

He made 387 appearances for United, the last as a late substitute in the FA Cup final win over Millwall at the Millennium Stadium in May, his second triumph in the competition.

He also starred in the 1999 Champions League final triumph over Bayern Munich, playing in the centre of midfield after Roy Keane and Paul Scholes were both ruled out through suspension.

However, a series of injuries and loss of form meant he was no longer guaranteed first-team football at the club.

And Butt almost left Old Trafford in January after manager Sir Alex Ferguson reluctantly accepted a transfer request.

Birmingham had a �5.5m bid accepted and Middlesbrough expressed an interest but neither could persuade Butt to join them.

However, competition for places in midfield have intensified over the summer following the arrival of Liam Miller.

United are heavily stocked in midfield with Butt competing against Phil Neville, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Darren Fletcher as well as regulars such as Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Roy Keane for a place in the team.