Jason Wilcox is facing renewed pressure at Manchester United as the club prepare to return to Elland Road, where the director of football was also at the centre of events during their previous visit.
United travel to Leeds with manager Michael Carrick and his players under scrutiny, while Wilcox has been singled out by Lisandro Martinez following the midweek defeat by Atletico Madrid.
The Argentina defender criticised the club’s preparations for a return to the Champions League. Martinez apologised on Thursday after internal discussions, but the episode has intensified questions around the leadership at Old Trafford.
Wilcox retains the backing of his senior colleagues, yet the situation carries echoes of the last meeting between the sides. That match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Matheus Cunha cancelling out Brenden Aaronson’s opener, but the main focus came afterwards.
Ruben Amorim, then United’s manager, used his post-match press conference to insist that he remained in charge despite growing speculation over his position.
“I came here to be the manager of Manchester United. Not to be the coach. That is clear,” Amorim said.
He added: “I know that my name is not [Thomas] Tuchel, it’s not [Antonio] Conte, it’s not [Jose] Mourinho, but I’m the manager of Manchester United and it’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decides to change.”
Amorim was dismissed two days later. A meeting with Wilcox before the trip to Leeds, during which the pair discussed the manager’s tactical approach, was subsequently seen as an important moment in the breakdown of their relationship.
Amorim’s alleged “emotional and inconsistent behaviour” was identified as a key factor in the decision, while his reluctance to alter his preferred 3-4-3 system was said to have contributed to a loss of confidence in his management.
The Portuguese’s departure ended tensions within the club, although it did not provoke the same level of supporter anger that has followed the current difficulties. Results during his 14-month tenure had not been convincing, while Carrick’s interim spell included securing Champions League football before he was given the permanent role by Wilcox and his colleagues.
United’s subsequent decline has shifted attention towards those above the head coach. The club spent £163 million on Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba, an investment Wilcox believes represented sufficient backing for Carrick.
In a message published after Tielemans joined, Wilcox said: “Last season, I wrote about the sense of responsibility to help get this great club back to the top.
“A year on, we can be proud of the progress we have made towards our ultimate goals. We have taken great strides forward and can be confident that we have the right structures and processes in place to achieve regular and sustained success in the future.
“We can all be proud of the winning culture that is developing at Carrington as we continue to build a talented and determined group of players ready to compete across all four competitions.”
Since then, United have endured a record-breaking start to the Premier League season for unwanted reasons and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle. Wilcox watched the same outcome unfold last season.
The director of football now faces the challenge of repairing relations with Martinez and supporters while results remain poor. Calls have also grown for clearer communication from the club’s leadership, with Wilcox’s occasional interviews viewed as insufficient by some fans.
Elland Road therefore represents another significant test for Wilcox. Last time, Amorim’s dismissal provided a way out of the crisis; with Martinez’s criticism now part of the public debate, a similar solution is not available if Manchester United’s form fails to improve.
