Football is a different world to the days of an all-powerful Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, with control now left in the hands of those in the boardroom rather than those in the dugout.
It says it all that Michael Carrick signed a deal this summer to be United’s ‘head coach’ rather than manager, a point that was evidently a bone of contention for Ruben Amorim during his Elland Road meltdown in January.
The title matters little, in truth, with Carrick, like Amorim before him, likely to be the key casualty if results don’t improve, this INEOS regime previously sacking Erik ten Hag just a matter of months into 2024/25.
At some stage though, fingers need to start being pointed at those who are really pulling the strings in the background, with Jason Wilcox still a key figure at Old Trafford.
Why Jason Wilcox should be under scrutiny at Man Utd
Currently serving as United’s director of football, Wilcox’s fingerprints are all over United’s dealings of recent years, be it in terms of transfers and managerial appointments.
The Englishman, among others, embarked on a public search to replace Ten Hag in the summer of 2024, undermining the Dutchman despite ultimately deciding to belatedly back him in the end.
In the case of Amorim too, Wilcox and co effectively dragged the Portuguese out of Sporting Lisbon mid-season, overlooking what proved to be a key issue regarding the manager’s stubborn 3-4-3 system.
The former Southampton and Manchester City man is quick to put his name to new signings and contract extensions, yet hides away otherwise when things go awry, with this summer again a perfect case in point.
Carrick appears to have been left with a squad that is short in key areas, Wilcox and the recruitment team deciding not to strengthen at left-back and centre-forward, decisions that have already backfired due to injury.
Not looking beyond the midfield almost borders on negligence, it must be said, with it yet another summer under the Glazer regime in which the club have failed to kick on after securing Champions League football.
As already stated, Carrick will ultimately pay the price if this on-field rut continues, but the real decision-makers at Man United need to be held to account too.
Man Utd contract decision is another Wilcox disaster
For a sense of balance, one positive regarding this INEOS regime has been the ruthlessness of their dealings of late, notably shifting a string of underperforming stars in 2025, be it Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Rasmus Hojlund.
This summer too, the club weren’t swept up in Casemiro’s end-of-season heroics, making the correct decision to part ways with the ageing Brazilian at the end of his contract.
Similar decisions do lie ahead in 2027, with the likes of Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw all out of contract in June.
|
Upcoming Contract Expiry – Man Utd |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Contract Expiry |
|
Heaton |
June 2027 |
|
Maguire |
June 2027 |
|
Shaw |
June 2027 |
|
Martinez |
June 2027 |
|
Fernandes |
June 2027 |
|
Amass |
June 2027 |
|
T. Fletcher |
June 2027 |
|
Darlow |
June 2028 |
|
Rashford |
June 2028 |
|
Mazraoui |
June 2028 |
|
Dalot |
June 2028 |
|
Mount |
June 2028 |
Fernandes aside, you’d expect the rest of the trio to all depart, part of a mish-mash defence that needs a major overhaul, having been assembled by a string of different managers over the past decade or so.
And yet, as reported by Football Insider, Wilcox and co are planning talks with the aforementioned Shaw regarding a potential contract extension, with negotiations set to take place in the New Year.
United are said to still view the 31-year-old as an option for the ‘long-term’ and are preparing to ‘take his needs into account’ when discussing a new deal.
Quite what those needs entail remains to be seen, although in terms of salary, prior reports have indicated that he currently earns around £200k-per-week, amid the return to the Champions League.
Yes, the long-serving defender did start all 38 league games last term, but there is a sense that he’s long outstayed his welcome, now into his 13th season at Old Trafford.
At what other elite club would a player with Shaw’s albeit unfortunate injury record still be on board? United have struggled so badly to oust the Englishman from his left-back berth for so long now.
They’ve pinned their hopes on him again this season, amid that failure to sign any form of cover or competition, and lo and behold, that decision has backfired already, with Shaw picking up an early-season injury.
He subsequently missed the Manchester derby, as well as the meetings with Sabah and Brighton and Hove Albion, having left Carrick to rely on makeshift options in the form of Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui.
The return to two or three games a week already looks set to be an issue for Shaw, with there surely little sense in handing out an extension, not least after having already shown the likes of Casemiro the door of late.
To not sign a left-back and then hand the unreliable Shaw a new deal really would spark uproar among the United faithful. If Wilcox wasn’t already teetering on the brink, that should surely mark a sackable offence in itself.
