Wilcox the target again in another damaging Man Utd fallout

Key Takeaways

• It is almost 10 months since Jason Wilcox was in the line of fire when Ruben Amorim gave the explosive post-match news conference at Leeds that
• Amorim was furious Manchester United's director of football had subtly advised him to change tactics for the previous game against Wolves
• "I will do my job and every department, the scouting department, the sporting director, needs to do theirs," said Amorim
• Less than 24 hours after that chiding, Amorim was sacked, and the focus was on the part Wilcox played in that
• Now Wilcox is in the crosshairs again

It is almost 10 months since Jason Wilcox was in the line of fire when Ruben Amorim gave the explosive post-match news conference at Leeds that triggered his dismissal.

Amorim was furious Manchester United's director of football had subtly advised him to change tactics for the previous game against Wolves.

"I will do my job and every department, the scouting department, the sporting director, needs to do theirs," said Amorim.

Less than 24 hours after that chiding, Amorim was sacked, and the focus was on the part Wilcox played in that.

Now Wilcox is in the crosshairs again.

This time Lisandro Martinez was doing the firing and had a target in mind.

He might have got the job title slightly wrong, but there was no doubting who Martinez meant after the 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid when he said: "I expect more from our technical director."

There is no doubting either that Martinez knew what he was saying.

Working as a post-match interviewer for US broadcaster CBS, legendary former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel tried to steer Martinez away from discussion about his old club's summer transfer window on four occasions. Each time, the Argentina defender refused to be deflected.

"We don't have the best squad at the moment compared to other top teams," said Martinez.

"I'm not going to close my mouth. We need more ambition. If we don't say the truth, nothing will change."

During the summer, BBC Sport was told by dressing room sources the club needed to sign more players than the three - Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba - who eventually arrived, and it was "fairly obvious" where they needed to be - left-back and striker.

Another source with extensive knowledge of the inner workings at Old Trafford describes the current situation as "a mess".

Martinez said he felt it was important to speak out the way he did. Many United fans are delighted he went down that path, and the defender was highlighting inadequacies in the club's leadership structure.

However, there are a couple of other basic realities.

The first is that Martinez's contract expires at the end of the season. United have the option to extend it by another year.

By being so outspoken against senior figures at the club, was he trying to ensure that option is not triggered, which would allow him to leave for nothing in the summer, or, potentially, for a lower fee in January?

Martinez is good friends with Atletico Madrid defender Cristian Romero and the international colleagues spoke after last night's game. Romero was similarly forceful against the Tottenham hierarchy last season.

Also, while the vast majority of United fans may agree with Martinez, internally his comments create a problem.

Most obviously, head coach Michael Carrick, having deflected questions about the defender's outburst in the immediate aftermath of the game, will face more probing on the matter when he speaks to the media before Sunday's trip to Leeds.

Any players lined up to talk around the Elland Road trip will be similarly quizzed. When Tielemans was asked about it by Amazon Prime on Tuesday night, he replied with a "no comment". Given the comments about recruitment, he would clearly be within his rights to ask Martinez outright "did you mean me?"

Carrick has to manage the delicate dressing room dynamic at a point when he needs a collective focus on trying to win enough matches to keep him in a job.

Sources who know the United boss well are adamant there is no better person to handle the turmoil, and it is at times of crisis like this that his innate calmness is a major strength.

However, after five games without a win, it is a problem Carrick could do without.

Firstly, it must be pointed out Wilcox is going nowhere.

United sources say the 55-year-old is not in any danger of losing his job.

The club's recruitment department is working on potential targets for January given it is accepted the strategy of not signing left-back competition for Luke Shaw and striking support for Benjamin Sesko was flawed.

Both players have missed matches already this term, with Sesko sidelined for an indefinite period after suffering a recurrence of the shin issue that 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, there is no expectation for sporting or technical directors to speak to the media.

Former United sporting director Dan Ashworth did it once during his five months at the club and was sitting alongside chief executive Omar Berrada.

Wilcox's only extensive interview since he was appointed in April 2024 has been with United's in-house media, when a couple of answers stood out.

"I am a coach at heart," said the former Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United winger, who spent several years working in coaching at Manchester City's academy.

"I am a coach inside, even though I know I have a different job now. That is a strength in my role, but it also causes me a bit of a problem 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 am bogged down with frustration. When I re-energise, I do it on my own. Me and the dog, walking."

Wilcox has only spoken briefly to the media after matches on a couple of occasions: after the 2-1 win at Crystal Palace last November, when he told journalists to "trust the process"; then again in Gothenburg after the pre-season encounter with Paris St-Germain when he enthused about the potential pairing of Tielemans and skipper Bruno Fernandes.

Recruitment was praised in summer 2025, when Senne Lammens was signed ahead of Emi Martinez, who was Amorim's preference, and Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, plus Sesko, reinvigorated United's attack.

But the jury is out on the players acquired in the £155m summer outlay this year: Baleba, who missed the first six weeks of the season with injury; Santos, who has been an unused substitute in the last three Premier League games; and Tielemans, whose form has been patchy.

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 if the £50m committed to Santos would have been better spent on someone who would be a first choice.

Trust is eroding among United fans over the minority ownership, agreed on Christmas Eve in 2023.

They might look at the other clubs where Ineos have an influence.

Nice are ninth in the French league and Lausanne-Sport are bottom in Switzerland. This doesn't generate a sense of a wider footballing vision that is paying dividends.

At Old Trafford, questions are being asked for the third season in a row over managers who were backed by the hierarchy in the summer. Erik ten Hag was sacked after nine Premier League games in 2024. Amorim went after 20 matches last season.

Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has also been blamed by fans for increasing ticket prices and launching what the club said was a ticket touting investigation among season ticket holders, but which supporters felt was an attempt to drive them out in favour of 'tourist' supporters.

In their latest set of accounts, United's overall debt stood at £1.1bn, with some fans criticising the decision to spend £63.5m on land for a new 100,000-capacity stadium - which is set to cost in excess of £2bn - rather than use the money to strengthen Carrick's squad.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Wilcox the target again in another damaging Man Utd fallout?

Lisandro Martinez's explosive comments after Manchester United's Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid turn the spotlight back on director of football Jason Wilcox.