Man Utd ‘working on deal to appoint former Premier League winner in key role under Dan Ashworth’
MANCHESTER UNITED are working on a deal to bring in Southampton’s director of football Jason Wilcox to the club, according to reports.
Wilcox would be handed a “key role” in the club’s sporting department, where he would be reporting to the club’s new sporting director, which is likely to be Newcastle’s Dan Ashworth.
INEOS have been working hard to overhaul United’s sporting hierachy since their investment in the club was officially announced on Christmas Eve last year.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s first move saw United appoint Omar Berrada as the club’s new CEO, who had previously worked in a key role for rivals Manchester City.
United now want to appoint a sporting director and have held talks with Newcastle’s Ashworth.
He is understood to have informed both Newcastle and Manchester United of his intention to join the Red Devils, according to The Athletic.
Asworth is likely to join at the end of the season to avoid United having to pay Newcastle a large compensation fee.
The sporting director only joined Newcastle in the summer of 2022 after previously overseeing Brighton’s impressive recruitment strategy.
He oversaw the signings of the likes of Kaoru Mitoma and Alexis MacAllister while on the south coast and has brought the likes of Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak to The Magpies.
Southampton‘s Wilcox appears to be next in line for INEOS to bring to United as they oversee a massive overhaul of the club’s sporting strategy.
He is yet to be formally approached by the club but The Athletic claim he is aware of United’s interest.
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If he were to join United, the report claims he would be working in a “key role” reporting to Ashworth.
Wilcox, who won the Premier League with Blackburn in 1994, was Manchester City‘s academy director until last January, when he moved to Southampton to become director of football.
City were reluctant to lose Wilcox and made a counter-offer for him to stay.
His role at City saw him introduce the likes of Phil Foden, Oscar Bobb and Cole Palmer into the City first team and he spent a total of nine years across various roles at the club.
Wilcox’s time at Southampton saw the south coast club aggressively pursue the country’s top young talent – with Manchester City U21 star Shea Charles being the pick of the club’s young signings under his watch.
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