Q&A: What is Jason Wilcox’s background and why is he wanted by Man Utd?

Manchester United have made an official approach to hire Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox as part of their off-field overhaul following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival.

Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the former England winger and the current state of affairs.

What is Wilcox’s background?

He joined Blackburn in 1987 at the age of 16 following a trial, broke into the first team two years later and remained at Ewood Park for the next decade, making 238 appearances. He was a key player in Rovers’ 1995 Premier League title-winning side. Wilcox left for Leeds in 1999 and helped the Yorkshire club reach UEFA Cup and Champions League semi-finals in consecutive seasons before a spell with Leicester and then finishing his career at Blackpool aged 35.

What has he been up to in recent years?

Wilcox took up an academy coaching role with Manchester City in 2012, guiding the under-18s to the national title as well as two FA Youth Cup finals, and was appointed academy director in October 2017. It was announced in January 2023 that he would move to Saints in the summer to oversee all football departments.

Why is he in demand?

Wilcox developed a reputation for nurturing young talent in the blue half of Manchester, as well as recruiting some of the best prospects in the game. He is understood to have a good relationship with incoming United chief executive Omar Berrada from their time together at City and has been targeted to be the next piece of United’s off-field jigsaw puzzle. Ineos recently took charge of football operations at Old Trafford as part of the deal that saw Ratcliffe become minority owner, and United are looking for a resolution to hire Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth, who has been placed on garden leave.

What will it take to get the deal done?

The Red Devils have offered compensation commensurate to a year’s salary, but Southampton want a bigger package. United want Wilcox in place for the summer and are hoping for an amicable outcome. A report emerged during Southampton’s match against Ipswich on Monday evening that Wilcox had resigned, which would mean him serving a 12-month notice period before he could take up a new role.

Home
/
Manchester United
Harry Maguire reveals his 3 favourite moments as a Man Utd player
Harry Maguire made 200th Man Utd appearance against Brentford
The 31-year-old has looked back at his personal highlights with club
Three games stand out in particular for the former Red Devils captain

By Katie Catherall
Apr 2, 2024
Maguire has recorded 200 appearances at Man Utd
Maguire has recorded 200 appearances at Man Utd / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
Manchester United's disappointing draw at Brentford on Saturday marked an important day for defender Harry Maguire as he recorded his 200th appearance for the club.

Arriving for £80m in 2019, 31-year-old defender Maguire has branded his position at United as a "huge honour" as he looks back on his double century of games.

Maguire is now one of eight players in the current squad who have 200 United appearances, joining teammates such as Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes to reach that milestone. Yet from all of those games, the one he classes as his "biggest highlight" is still his debut back in August 2019 - a 4-0 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford with a clean sheet and Man of the Match performance.

"[I] signed not many days before the first game of the season, [and] obviously got put straight into the team," he told club media.

"It was a great occasion, playing at Old Trafford in front of the fans. It was a sunny day against Chelsea and to get the 4-0 victory on my debut is something I'll never forget. It was a moment with all my friends and family in the stand and a really proud day for myself.

"The pressure of the opening day of the season is always the one, as players, you feel the most nervous in a season. You've had that period of off-season and to go out there [on] my debut, [at] Old Trafford [in that] atmosphere was unbelievable."

Harry Maguire
Maguire looks back fondly on his Man Utd debut / Julian Finney/GettyImages
But there are a couple of other big standout moments for Maguire too.

"Playing in the Manchester derby, the one at Old Trafford before Covid was an unbelievable atmosphere," he said. "It's probably one of the best I've played in, where Scott [McTominay] scores in the last minute. Obviously, lifting the Carabao Cup as well was a huge moment for me.

"This club demands winning trophies. We got beaten in a Europa League final under Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] in a penalty shootout, which was tough to take. But to [win a trophy] in Erik [ten Hag]'s first season was really impressive. The lads did a great job and thoroughly deserved a trophy."

Manchester United return to action on Thursday when they face Chelsea in the Premier League.

READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
•
Jason Wilcox best signings - ranked
•
Man Utd hit with fresh double centre-back injury blow
•
Top pundits predictions for Premier League Gameweek 31
•
Getafe believe Man Utd have triggered Mason Greenwood contract extension - report
Related Topics
Harry Maguire
Chelsea FC
Manchester United FC
Premier League
Brentford FC
EFL Cup
Europa League
Erik ten Hag
Bruno Fernandes

Premier League Preview: Midweek Round 31
FotMob - April 2, 2024, 3:00 PM
Another round of mid-week fixtures is upon us and we’ve not really had a chance to mull over what happened over the weekend. That is the beauty of this stage of the season though. For the players, the schedule is relentless. For fans, however, it feels as though there is football on every single evening and all of the matches seem to matter. With that in mind, here’s what we believe have the potential to be the biggest matches this week.
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

Can Newcastle build momentum?
Newcastle United netted a last-minute winner against West Ham United on Saturday evening to put them right back in the mix for European football next season. If they finish the campaign well, a Europa Conference League place could well be up for grabs.

A win on Tuesday evening over Everton could potentially move Newcastle into seventh and they would be just two points off of sixth-placed Manchester United. Not only will they be buoyed by the result on Saturday but they’ll also fancy their chances due to their impressive home form – they are now unbeaten in four on home soil.

Their visitors are in dire need of a performance. Everton are without a win in the Premier League since December. Their 12-game winless streak includes seven losses and they have also failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven outings.

There hasn’t been a draw between these two sides in their last seven meetings, so the likelihood is that one side will be celebrating tonight.

Worrisome form for West Ham
West Ham host Spurs on Tuesday evening looking to get back on track following a second half capitulation against Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon. The Hammers held a 3-1 lead early on after the break but lost 4-3 after a lacklustre showing.

David Moyes’ men aren’t in great form. They are winless in three Premier League matches and have won just two of their last 11 in the English top-flight. They’re now in a battle for a Europa Conference League spot and they’re going to need favours from other teams to claim that position come the end of the season.

By comparison, Spurs are in the hunt for a top four place. A win moves the visitors level on points with Aston Villa and they could potentially leapfrog the Villans into the final Champions League spot, at least temporarily.

Spurs haven’t been in the best form since the 4-0 win over Unai Emery’s side. They lost 3-0 to Fulham and they needed a late Heung-Min Son goal to record a 2-1 victory over struggling Luton on Saturday. They are doing enough to keep the pressure on though and that is all they can do at this stage of the campaign.


Top spot up for grabs at the Emirates
Arsenal claimed a point at the Etihad on Sunday. A good result but it did see them lose top spot to Liverpool. They have an opportunity to return to the summit on Wednesday as they welcome Luton Town to the Emirates.

The visitors are without a host of key players and they currently find themselves in 18th position in the Premier League. It is quite remarkable when you consider Rob Edwards’ side are without a win in 10 and haven’t kept a clean sheet in 10 either.

The Hatters have taken just 10 points on their travels this season. Only Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest have collected fewer points on the road. While only Liverpool (39) have won more points at home than Arsenal (34). This should be a routine victory for Mikel Arteta’s men. If they secure all three points, it heaps all of the pressure back onto the Reds in this title race ahead of their Thursday night match.


How will the Champions react?
Manchester City are still in this title race but they seem to be struggling to go through the gears at the pivotal part of the season. Pep Guardiola’s men have drawn three of their last six matches in the English top flight and are currently three points off of the pace.

City have the third-best home record this season but have actually drawn a third of their fixtures at the Etihad in the English top-flight. They are unbeaten at home but it isn’t quite the fortress it usually is.

They host an in-form Aston Villa side on Wednesday evening, a team still holding onto the final Champions League spot. Villa, who have suffered just one loss in their last six Premier League outings, are without a raft of players heading into this game with John McGinn, Ollie Watkins, Emi Buendia, Jacob Ramsey and Matty Cash all missing.

They are, however, unbeaten in eight away games and do have the fourth best away record in the English top-flight. An upset could be on the cards.

Liverpool versus Sheffield United
At the time of writing, this match sees top-of-the-table Liverpool host bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United. It should be a formality for the Reds but the Premier League always has a surprise or two for us during the title run-in.

The Reds have come from behind in each of their last two outings in the Premier League to claim four points. Their comeback victory over Brighton on Easter Sunday lifted them above Arsenal and into top spot.

Jürgen Klopp’s side have the best home record in the English top-flight. They are unbeaten against Sheffield United in five matches and they have Mohamed Salah back in their starting XI. All of the signs are positive.


Meanwhile, Sheffield United are leaking goals – 17 in their last five – they haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last 10 outings and they have given up two-goal leads in their last two games. It could be a long night for the Blades if Liverpool get an early goal. The longer it remains 0-0, the more confident they’ll become.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the Premier League live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage and player ratings. Download the free app here.