There is a picture of Sir Jim Ratcliffe with his Manchester United executives that offers a fascinating glimpse into the dynamic of the Old Trafford boardroom.
A furious-looking Ratcliffe is pointing his forefinger at director of football Jason Wilcox, who raises a bent finger of his own in cautious defence, while chief executive Omar Berrada shields between the two men.
It was taken during the half-time interval at Molineux last December after United conceded an equaliser against Wolves before going on to secure their last away win under Ruben Amorim.
A month later, Amorim self-destructed at Leeds in a post-match rant aimed at Wilcox and club bosses, two days after an angry bust-up between the two men at Carrington, and was sacked.
United return to Elland Road on Sunday with former Leeds winger Wilcox once again in the crosshairs following Lisandro Martinez’s criticism of him in a television interview after Tuesday’s defeat by Atletico Madrid, in which the Argentine said he ‘expected more from our technical director’ in the summer transfer market.
Martinez accepted a fine and apologised for the timing of his comments in a statement referencing Wilcox when he said ‘everyone at the club is doing everything they can to make the team successful’, but has not said sorry to Wilcox himself.
Jason Wilcox (right) has felt the wrath of a number of those associated with Manchester United – including Sir Jim Ratcliffe (left)
Wilcox still has Ratcliffe’s backing but has come under criticism again this week – this time from Lisandro Martinez
Ratcliffe has quoted Manchester City’s former director of football Txiki Begiristain as saying Wilcox has the ‘best set of eyes’ in the game, but the 55-year-old knows that counts for little.
The photo at Molineux was taken almost a year to the day after Ratcliffe sacked his predecessor Dan Ashworth on the spot after a game at Old Trafford and then promoted Wilcox from technical director.
It’s understood that he still has the backing of the Ineos billionaire but there has to be a degree of sympathy for any executive working on a limited budget, which made signing top targets like Elliot Anderson in the summer impossible, with Ratcliffe looking over their shoulder.
As one agent explained to Daily Mail Sport: ‘Jason is in an incredibly difficult position. Everybody would think he’s the decision-maker at the club, but he absolutely isn’t. Manchester United is run by the owners, Sir Jim and the Glazers. If you sack Wilcox, nothing will change. It’s a mess.’
Another adds: ‘We had a deal agreed with Jason and then Jim got involved and tried to change it. He ended up killing it.’
A year after United were praised for signing Senne Lammens, Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, Wilcox has been criticised for focusing on a midfield recruitment drive that brought in Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.
United faced Atletico in the Metropolitano in midweek without a recognised striker or left-back due to wholly foreseeable injuries to Sesko and Luke Shaw.
It’s understandable that Wilcox is facing questions about his suitability for such a big job after six years as City’s academy head and nine months as Southampton’s director of football. If United cannot turn their season around, should he be held just as accountable as head coach Michael Carrick?
One agent said the situation at United is ‘a mess’ – with Ratcliffe making a lot of decisions
Erik ten Hag was never a fan and Wilcox’s relationship soured with Amorim who hinted that he was too sensitive to criticism from TV pundits like Gary Neville.
Others have a different view. ‘Straight to the point, no bulls***,’ said a source. ‘An absolute gentleman and man of his word,’ added another.
One Premier League executive who didn’t wish to be named said: ‘Wilcox is ultra-professional, or at least he has been in my experience. Is he as hard-faced as some of them out there? Maybe not and maybe that may put him on the back foot on occasion.
‘He works for Man United, though, and I think there needs to be a certain standard of behaviour that comes with that. I feel Wilcox understands it. He has a pretty good reputation in the league.’
Wilcox chatted briefly with reporters before United played Paris-Saint Germain in Gothenburg in the summer, but has maintained a relatively low profile since succeeding Ashworth who – like John Murtough before him – was more open with the media.
Wilcox spoke with United’s in-house station MUTV in October last year, coincidentally after a run of three straight wins, a month after he appeared on stage at a gala dinner for the Association of Manchester United Players when he admitted that his coaching background means ‘I always want to interfere with what the managers are doing’.
That might not be what Carrick wants to hear but the two men are said to have a good working relationship, and the United boss said he has no problem with Wilcox keeping his head below the parapet when he spoke before the Leeds game on Friday.
‘I don’t think that’s for me to say whether he should or not,’ said Carrick. ‘I’ve got absolutely no problem sitting here and talking to you guys and leading the football club from this position.’
Michael Carrick (left) is under pressure – and Wilcox is keen to involve himself in his area
When Blackburn Rovers’ squad of 1995 gathered together last year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of beating United to the Premier League title, Wilcox took some stick from his old teammates.
‘He took it really well,’ said one. ‘He’s very self-effacing. There’s no airs and graces. He was always a conscientious lad with a great sense of humour who worked really hard – although you wouldn’t necessarily have had him down as the future director of football at Manchester United.’
Raised in Bolton, the boyhood Liverpool fan represented England at judo after achieving his black belt at the age of 14.
Wilcox joined Blackburn two years later after he was rejected by City and his father sent off 30 letters to clubs in the north-west asking them to give him a chance.
He built a reputation as a dressing-room joker as Kenny Dalglish forged a title-winning team under millionaire owner Jack Walker, and his better impersonations were said to include Bruce Forsyth and Norman Wisdom.
When Rovers edged out United by one point on the final day of the season, Wilcox was on crutches at Anfield following knee surgery – just as he had missed out on the club’s promotion to the Premier League via the Play-off Final at Wembley in 1992 because of injury, his misery complete when a bird defecated on his club suit before the game.
Wilcox did make three appearances at Wembley for England – against Hungary, France and Argentina – in a career that included spells at Leeds, Leicester and Blackpool.
In retirement, he continued to follow Blackburn as part of the commentary team on BBC Radio Lancashire, and he also wrote a regular column for the Lancashire Telegraph.
A former Blackburn title winner, it’s now Wilcox’s turn to feel the pressure with Ratcliffe breathing down his neck
He always felt destined to go down the coaching path, though, and joined City where he led the Under-18s to two FA Youth Cup finals before making his name as the club’s academy head.
Wilcox oversaw the progression of a number of young stars to the first-team including Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and Liam Delap – notably sticking by Palmer when others considered letting him go at 16.
He also helped City make a big profit from selling their surplus academy talent, something United are now trying to emulate.
‘Jason was always very fair at City,’ says one agent. ‘If he said your player would get a new contract if he played well, he was usually true to his word. He is very black and white. He doesn’t pussyfoot around on decisions like some.’
It was no surprise that Berrada took Wilcox from Southampton as part of the influx of ex-City staff into Old Trafford, even if the overlap with Ashworth never looked like working out for long.
Now it’s his turn to feel the heat with Ratcliffe breathing down his neck.
