Manchester United sit 17th in the Premier League table, and Mirror Football has identified five key errors in Jason Wilcox's tenure as the club's director of football. Since joining from Southampton in April 2024, the 55-year-old has overseen significant upheaval, including multiple managerial changes and hundreds of millions spent on players, yet results have deteriorated.
Keeping Erik ten Hag
Ten Hag's final full season saw United finish eighth in the Premier League with a negative goal difference, their worst position since 1989-90. They exited the EFL Cup in the fourth round to holders Newcastle and finished bottom of their Champions League group, though the campaign ended with FA Cup glory in a 2-1 win over Manchester City.
Wilcox and the newly-formed INEOS leadership conducted an end-of-season review, then backed Ten Hag with over £200m on new arrivals in the summer. However, the Dutchman was sacked just nine games into the season in October 2024. Cutting ties in the summer would have saved an exorbitant amount spent on players who have largely struggled since signing.
Lack of identity
Wilcox has appointed three permanent managers, each with a different style of play, a strategy that Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal would not adopt. Replacing Ten Hag with Ruben Amorim proved costly, requiring investment in specialised players for his 3-4-2-1 formation and a fortune to part with the Portuguese and his staff upon their exit.
The squad is now a disjointed mix of Ten Hag's former Eredivisie signings and players acquired for Amorim's system, a situation that will likely take years to rectify.
Appointing Michael Carrick permanently
Carrick earned the permanent job after leading United to Champions League qualification, echoing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's appointment in March 2019 after winning 14 of his 19 matches. The 45-year-old led his former side admirably in an interim role in the second half of last season, but being the permanent figurehead is a different challenge.
With just three years of management at Middlesbrough under his belt, Carrick is now on the brink of losing his job.
Transfer neglect
Lisandro Martinez's public outburst about Wilcox was accurate, according to the report. The Argentine criticised the director after a Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid, slamming United's transfer market efforts. While midfield was addressed with Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba, who have yet to impress, defensive issues remain.
Injuries to Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt left the side short, and Luke Shaw was the only senior left-back after Tyrell Malacia's departure. No defensive signing was made in the summer, leaving Carrick to play players out of position, with Shaw injured and centre-back Ayden Heaven, 20, forced to play at full-back.
Not enough squad overhaul
A key fan complaint has been the lack of departures of underperforming players. While Antony, Jadon Sancho, Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Victor Lindelof have left in recent years, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw remain. Maguire, 33, approaches eight years at the club, while Shaw, 31, will make it 13 by season's end.
Both defenders are out of contract next summer but have faced criticism for lack of quality and consistency. Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard said on The Overlap: "If you go through the squad, the back four. Harry Maguire's had a really good career, Luke Shaw, I played with Luke [with England], he was top in his day. They're not Manchester United players anymore. They should have been moved on quicker." The club's inability to overhaul the squad leaves them facing a lengthy rebuild.
