As Manchester United close in on Jason Wilcox for the technical director role, one player will likely be delighted by his appointment.
It seems a matter of time until Jason Wilcox is the latest top-level recruit at Old Trafford.
Manchester United are continuing the rebuild of the footballing structure after the arrival of Ineos and Omar Berrada.
As negotiations for Dan Ashworth drag on, the technical director position looks like it’s about to be filled.
The appointment of Wilcox could be terrific news for one man who’s currently out of favour under Erik ten Hag.
Here’s why…
Wilcox might just hand one Manchester United player a life-line
Wilcox would arrive with a host of experience and he’s worked with countless players in his career.
One of these players is currently a problem at Old Trafford which needs solving.
Jadon Sancho is the issue, and Wilcox might be the only man capable of fixing it, as he’s a figure that the on-loan Borussia Dortmund winger knows very well.
Sancho was coached by Wilcox at a U18 level for Manchester City when the prospective technical director would be quoted praising the then-young talent.
“For a young kid playing his first under-18s football match, I thought he was sensational. He’s a talented boy who works really hard.”
The key bit of this we are intrigued by is the comment on Sancho’s work ethic, with Wilcox being one of the only people to praise that side of the 24-year-old.
At Carrington, his work rate has been a problem rather than a quality of his, but with Wilcox arriving, there could be a small hope he changes.
This could be a decisive factor in Sancho’s future this summer, which previously looked bleak, but Wilcox could actually hand him a lifeline.
This however could also be an early source of conflict within the new regime.
Erik ten Hag and Wilcox could clash over Jadon Sancho stance
If Wilcox does see a future for Sancho at United, this would likely be something Ten Hag is left bemused by.
After the very public falling out between Sancho and his manager back in September, it’d be a clear indication of who has the power at the club if Sancho returns.
A manager like Ten Hag, as stubborn as he appears to be, may find this hard to deal with and it could be the beginning of the end, assuming he hasn’t already been let go by then.
Sancho has begun to show some real quality at Dortmund, such as this past weekend when he toyed with Alphonso Davies, which has left some contemplating a return.
This is a real possibility too, as it’s been reported he won’t be sold for cheap and it’ll have to be on Ineos’ terms. But it’s something we ultimately won’t know the answer to until this summer rolls around.