Wilcox faces growing scrutiny as Manchester United's struggles deepen
Manchester United fans turned on director of football Jason Wilcox during the 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth, with pressure also mounting on manager Michael Carrick after eight games without a win.
Manchester United supporters made their frustration with director of football Jason Wilcox unmistakable during Sunday's 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth at Old Trafford, singing his name alongside an obscenity repeatedly and in numbers. The display came less than two weeks after defender Lisandro Martinez publicly criticised the club's hierarchy for failing to strengthen the squad, saying he expected more from the technical director.
Pressure is intensifying on manager Michael Carrick, whose side have gone eight games without a win — their worst run since 2015-16 — and suffered two three-goal defeats in a week. Carrick's standing as a legendary figure at the club remains intact, and the sense among supporters is that he has been left short by recruitment decisions, turning attention toward Wilcox.
Wilcox, a former England winger who won the Premier League with Blackburn in 1994-95, joined United in April 2024 as technical director after 15 months in a similar role at Manchester City. He was initially answerable to sporting director Dan Ashworth, but that structure changed when Ashworth was sacked in December amid a disagreement over who should replace Erik ten Hag as manager.
Some observers note mitigating factors: Wilcox does not control transfer budgets, which are set higher up, and he could not prevent Manuel Ugarte's injury on Uruguay duty — which undermined a plan to sell the midfielder — or Barcelona withdrawing from a £26m deal for Marcus Rashford. Both affected United's summer spending. Still, the decision to focus recruitment exclusively on midfield, leaving Luke Shaw without left-back competition and Benjamin Sesko without striking support, looks questionable with both players injured.
Wilcox has twice retained his position while others departed — Ashworth and, later, Ruben Amorim, who publicly complained about interference and named Wilcox among those responsible. Wilcox rarely speaks to the media, and Carrick declined to say whether Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada should address supporters directly. Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has not commented on the crisis, leaving fans' demands for Wilcox's exit unanswered.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
