First, it must be emphasized that Wilcox is not going anywhere.
United sources say the 55-year-old is in no danger of losing his job.
The club’s recruitment department is working on potential targets for January given it is accepted that the strategy of not signing a left-back for Luke Shaw and support for Benjamin Sesko was misguided.
Both players have already missed matches this season, with Sesko out indefinitely after suffering a recurrence of the shin problem which flared up in May and prevented him from playing any part in United’s pre-season matches.
Unlike other major footballing countries on the continent, sporting or technical directors are not expected to speak to the media.
Former United sporting director Dan Ashworth did this once during his five months at the club and was sitting alongside chief executive Omar Berrada.
Wilcox’s only in-depth interview since his appointment in April 2024 was with United’s internal media, during which few answers stood out.
“I’m a coach at heart,” said the former Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United winger, who spent several years working as a coach in Manchester City’s academy.
“I’m an inside coach, although I know I have a different job now. That’s a strength in my role, but it also poses a bit of a problem for me because I always want to interfere in what the managers are doing.”
Regarding his strategy for dealing with stress, Wilcox said, “My wife will know when I’m getting bogged down in frustration. When I get my energy back, I do it on my own. Me and the dog, we walk.”
Wilcox has only spoken briefly to the media after matches on a few occasions: after the 2-1 win at Crystal Palace last November, when he told reporters to “trust the process”; then again in Gothenburg after the pre-season meeting with Paris St-Germain when he enthused about the potential duo of Tielemans and skipper Bruno Fernandes.
Recruitment was hailed in the summer of 2025, when Senne Lammens was signed ahead of Emi Martinez, who was Amorim’s preference, and Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, along with Sesko, reinvigorated United’s attack.
But the jury is out on the players acquired in this year’s £155m summer spend: Baleba, who missed the first six weeks of the season through injury; Santos, who has been an unused substitute in the last three Premier League games; and Tielemans, whose shape is uneven.
Sources have questioned the overall strategy, and specifically why Tielemans, who has a similar profile to England international Kobbie Mainoo, was signed, even for £35m, and whether the £50m committed to Santos would have been better spent on someone who would be a first choice.
Gn sports
