Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox has admitted there is no “quick fix” to the club’s issues and said he “prays we get the opportunity to turn it around.”
Wilcox joined United in 2024 amid sweeping changes to the leadership structure but Ruben Amorim’s side still continue to struggle on the pitch, dropping to 14th in the Premier League after the 3-0 defeat to rivals Manchester City last weekend.
That followed a miserable 2024-25 campaign, and co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe flew in for discussions with the under-pressure Amorim, as well as Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada, on Thursday.
In a rare public Q&A appearance, Wilcox highlighted the scale of United’s issues and stressed the need for patience.
“I didn’t realise how big this club was, even though I’ve competed against the club as a player and as a coach,” Wilcox said at a gala dinner for the 40th anniversary of the Association of Manchester United Players.
“This club is just a wonderful football club and I’m extremely privileged. I just pray that we get the opportunity to turn it around. I really feel that it’s not ‘will we win again,’ it’s ‘when we are going to win again.’
“It’s going to take time, it’s not a quick fix, especially now with the [profitability and sustainability] regulations. We needed to change the playing squad. We’ve now made some really good additions this summer.
Jason Wilcox, pictured with summer signing Benjamin Sesko, hopes he gets time to help Manchester United bounce back. Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images
“Sometimes taking players out of the squad is just as important as the players that you bring in.
“We’ve got to try and bring the culture and the respect back to Man United. Whether you work for Man United or you play against Man United, you feel like you’re part of something special.
“That’s what we’re trying to bring. I’m extremely proud, I’m extremely privileged, but I’m extremely frustrated as well because we can’t fix it quick enough.”
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United had a busy summer — five players were brought in and 11 were let go from the first team — despite failing to qualify for Europe. Part of the club’s cost-cutting measures included a number of redundancies, which Wilcox explained the need for.
“It has been a rollercoaster,” Wilcox added. “I came in last April so I’ve been in just now over 18 months and it’s been a real challenge. I’m not going to lie, I thought the club was in a much better place than what it was. We had no football identity, we lacked alignment between ownership and the CEO on football and the academy.
“We’ve just been working so hard behind the scenes, there’s an awful lot of work that’s gone on to change the staff. I know in the media there’s an awful lot of coverage around redundancies and things like this, but the football club needed to go through a period of transformation. without doubt. Forget the redundancies, the whole structure of Manchester United needed to change.
“It’s really sad to see people lose their jobs, but it was an exercise that needed to be done. Now we’ve got a platform to rebuild.”
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