At 28, he has experienced plenty in football and knows the causes of success and failure. He has a World Cup winner’s medal, whereas Jason Wilcox has overseen the latest period of mediocrity at Manchester United, during which the focus has fallen more on the team’s performances than the wider reasons behind it. Martínez was not solely speaking for himself when, after United’s defeat at Atlético Madrid, he strongly criticised Wilcox.
His views are shared by others at United frustrated by the output from above and who “expect” more from a director of football. Wilcox knows he is under pressure because the inadequate results cannot all be pinned on Michael Carrick, who is working with a squad unable to cope with the rigours of challenging at the top of the Premier League and facing Europe’s elite. Clubs live and die by their recruitment, and United sitting 13th in the Premier League after one win from six matches does not suggest the squad is in rude health.
A sporting director, like a referee, goes unnoticed when performing well but it has reached the point at United where players can take no more. Three years at Ajax taught Martínez about football structure. The Dutch clubs mix homegrown players with imports from around the world, many of whom are sold on for large profits.
Wilcox would struggle to make the case that any of his recruits, with the possible exception of Senne Lammens, have markedly increased in value. There are many sporting directors more adept at finding undervalued talent. Wilcox was offered the chance to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest a year before the midfielder signed for Manchester City, but decided against moving for a player who continued to grow in value and was eventually out of United’s price range.
If Sir Jim Ratcliffe is so eager to run United as a business, questioning why the outlay on players leads to so little return would be a sensible starting point. Wilcox arrived at Old Trafford in April 2024 after less than a year as the director of football in the Championship with Southampton, who gave him his first executive role in senior football. Before that, the former Blackburn and Leeds winger had worked in youth development, eventually becoming Manchester City’s academy director, and was well respected, but whether this was sufficient grounding for leading United’s football operation was debatable.
Wilcox oversaw at City the emergence of a glut of talent, including Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers. Some of those who have dealt with him feel a senior academy position is where his skills lie. A key reason why he was brought back to his native north-west by United was Omar Berrada’s appointment as chief executive.
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