Man Utd closing in on new summer arrival with Jason Wilcox leading the search

Daily Mirror

16 hours ago

Manchester United have been searching for a new assistant manager to work alongside under-21s boss Travis Binnion and they've decided on their preferred candidate in David Horseman
Manchester United are closing in on appointing a new assistant manager for their under-21 side. David Horseman, who was a first-team coach at Bristol Rovers last season, is set to be announced as David Hughes' successor in the vacant role.
Horseman, 41, will work alongside U21s manager Travis Binnion, who's been searching for a new assistant since Hughes became the boss of League Two side Newport County. In May, Bristol Rovers confirmed that the Englishman would be leaving the club following their relegation to the fourth tier.
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The previous campaign, Horseman spent just shy of six months in charge of Forest Green Rovers, winning only four games. Prior to that, the 41-year-old led Southampton's B team between 2019 and 2023.
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It was at St Mary's where he and United chief Jason Wilcox crossed paths. The Manchester Evening News report that ex-Saints director of football Wilcox is overseeing changes to United's academy and led the search which resulted in Horseman's appointment.
Wilcox, who formerly headed up Manchester City's academy, was recently promoted from his role as technical director to become the Red Devils' new director of football. His work at Old Trafford has earned praise from co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who ruthlessly sacked United's last sporting director, Dan Ashworth, after just five months.
During an interview with the Times, Ratcliffe hailed: "Jason, for me, is a guy at the coal face. He ran the academy at Manchester City. Txiki Begiristain, I know, thought Jason had the best eyes in the club.
"He's a warm character, he's got a sense of humour, he knows what he's talking about, he's got a really good relationship with Ruben [Amorim]. So, you know, if you compare that with last season when we had Erik [ten Hag] and John Murtough (United's former football director), it's chalk and cheese."
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Wilcox worked with United's CEO, Omar Berrada, while at City. His promotion reflected his increased responsibilities at Old Trafford, with Sir Dave Brailsford having decided to step back from his day-to-day involvement.
During his playing career, Wilcox helped Blackburn Rovers win the Premier League title in 1995. He earned three senior caps for England before starting his coaching career with City in 2012.
After five years working his way up, Wilcox was appointed their academy director. In 2023, following more than a decade for City, he made the move to Southampton.
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