Firstly, it must be pointed out Wilcox is going nowhere.
United sources say the 55-year-old is not in any danger of losing his job.
The club’s recruitment department is working on potential targets for January given it is accepted the strategy of not signing left-back competition for Luke Shaw and striking support for Benjamin Sesko was flawed.
Both players have missed matches already this term, with Sesko sidelined for an indefinite period after suffering a recurrence of the shin issue that flared up in May and prevented him from playing any part in United’s pre-season matches.
Unlike other major footballing countries on the continent, there is no expectation for sporting or technical directors to speak to the media.
Former United technical director Dan Ashworth did it once during his five months as sporting director at the club and was sitting alongside chief executive Omar Berrada.
Wilcox’s only extensive interview since he was appointed in April 2024 has been with United’s in-house media, when a couple of answers stood out.
“I am a coach at heart,” said the former Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United winger, who spent several years working in coaching at Manchester City’s academy.
“I am a coach inside, even though I know I have a different job now. That is a strength in my role, but it also causes me a bit of a problem because I always want to interfere in what the managers are doing.”
Regarding his strategy for dealing with stress, Wilcox said: “My wife will know when I am bogged down with frustration. When I re-energise, I do it on my own. Me and the dog, walking.”
Wilcox has only spoken briefly to the media after matches on a couple of occasions: after the 2-1 win at Crystal Palace last November, when he told journalists to “trust the process”; then again in Gothenburg after the pre-season encounter with Paris St-Germain when he enthused about the potential pairing of Tielemans and skipper Bruno Fernandes in the United team.
Recruitment was praised in summer 2025, when Senne Lammens was signed ahead of Emi Martinez, who was Amorim’s preference, and Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, plus Sesko, reinvigorated United’s attack.
But the jury is out on the players acquired in the £155m summer outlay this year: Baleba, who missed the first six weeks of the season with injury; Santos, who has been an unused substitute in the last three Premier League games; and Tielemans, whose form has been patchy.
Sources have questioned the overall strategy, and specifically why Tielemans, who has a similar profile to England international Kobbie Mainoo, was signed, even for £35m, and if the £50m committed to Santos would have been better spent on someone who would be a first choice.
