Manchester United have confirmed that Jason Wilcox will take over as technical director having left his role at Southampton.
Former Manchester City academy boss Wilcox joined the Saints last summer as director of football, spending less than a year on the south coast but still overseeing a successful summer transfer window after relegation.
Wilcox was responsible for bringing City youngster Taylor Harwood-Bellis and West Ham midfielder Flynn Downes in on loan, alongside signing another City academy product in Shea Charles.
And he will now oversee a massive summer for United’s long-term fortunes, the first transfer window with footballing operations under Ineos control.
Here are the five things Wilcox needs to focus on at Old Trafford, especially with future sporting director Dan Ashworth still on gardening leave.
Decide on Erik ten Hag’s future
This won’t be Wilcox’s decision alone, but with Ashworth still not allowed in the boardroom due to his contractual terms after leaving Newcastle, he is likely to have a major say in Erik ten Hag’s future.
Whether Ten Hag should stay or go is the biggest debate inside and out of Manchester United, but any decision over his future should be made based on the strength of any replacements.
With Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Barcelona all in the hunt for a new boss this summer and options already few and far between, there is a fair argument that Ten Hag should be give another season in charge.
Bolster the transfer budget
With Champions League football likely out of the window next season, alongside the £50m-plus windfall that comes with it, United need to find new income streams to continue building their squad.
The most obvious and effective way of doing this in the short term will be to sell expendable players for good prices, but without losing the necessary depth for another Champions League push.
But any of Amad Diallo, Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Antony and Scott McTominay could all be for sale in the summer, as well as Donny van de Beek, Facundo Pellistri, Brandon Williams and Hannibal Mejbri, who are all currently out on loan.
Raising more than £100m could then allow for £400m of incoming transfers while still adhering to Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Reintegrate Jadon Sancho
That Jadon Sancho has instantly reintegrated himself as a starter at Champions League semi-finalists Borussia Dortmund shows he still has the requisite quality to play for Manchester United.
Sancho’s public falling out with Ten Hag led to him being made to train with the academy for the majority of the first half of this season.
As i reported earlier this week, Sancho is open to returning to Man Utd if Ten Hag was sacked, but Wilcox needs to use his personal link to the winger to mend his relationship with the manager.
Wilcox gave Sancho his youth-team debut at Manchester City, when the 15-year-old scored twice in five minutes, and the new technical director has defended his former prospect on numerous occasions.
He needs to use this connection to either attempt to reconcile Sancho’s position at the club or negotiate his exit for a healthy fee.
Buy in crucial positions
Given the concerns over Casemiro’s performance and age and United’s continued struggle to keep full-backs fit and functioning, there are clear areas United need to focus on replenishing this summer.
A new defensive midfielder and left-back seem top of the order of priority, putting into operation the much vaunted move away from big names and star power.
Navigate Mason Greenwood’s exit
Despite the continued rumblings that there could be openings for Mason Greenwood at Manchester United, Wilcox needs to realise this simply isn’t a viable option.
Given rumours that Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid and current loan side Getafe are all interested in signing Greenwood on a permanent basis, sensitively navigating his exit could be the great achievement of Wilcox’s first window.
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