Man Utd appoint new director of football as Ratcliffe oversees major shake-up
The hierarchy at Manchester United has gone through multiple changes since Sir Jim Ratcliffe became co-owner and took control of football operations 18 months ago
Manchester United have appointed Jason Wilcox as their new sporting director after it emerged that Sir Dave Brailsford would be stepping back from his duties. The Red Devils had been without a sporting director since announcing the shock departure of Dan Ashworth in November.
United had spent half a year chasing the ex-Newcastle chief's signature before co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe axed him after just five months, citing a lack of 'chemistry' and costing the club, who've made hundreds of staff redundant this year, a huge £4million in compensation. Wilcox, 53, was poached from Southampton and arrived as technical director two months before Ashworth.
But now the former Manchester City academy head has been give a new position, one with increased seniority, after impressing Ratcliffe and senior Old Trafford figures, the Athletic report. Wilcox's promotion coincides with Brailsford's decision to step back.
The ex-British cycling chief is the director of sport for INEOS, Ratcliffe's petrochemical conglomerate. Brailsford has been a consistent presence since Ratcliffe purchased his initial stake in the club which has now increased to 28.94 per cent.
It's one of several changes to United's hierarchy during Ratcliffe's 18-month tenure. In April, INEOS chief Jean-Claude Blanc stepped down from his position as a director of the club.
A regular at matches home and away, Brailsford was involved in the appointments of chief executive Omar Berrada and head coach Ruben Amorim. The 61-year-old carried out an audit of United's football operations and was across the £50m refurbishment of their training ground, Carrington.
Brailsford even stepped down as INEOS Grenadiers' team principal to focus on the footballing project. But he'd become less visible in recent weeks, choosing to spend more time in Monaco after becoming a father last year, and will have less of a presence going forward.
Brailsford will remain on United's football club board alongside legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson and former chief executive David Gill. Ratcliffe reportedly wants him to mentor cyclist Geraint Thomas, who's expected to be given a senior management position within the Grenadiers once he retires as a rider at the end of this season.
Brailsford can also focus on INEOS' other sporting ventures. He was once influential at French side Nice but United's failure to qualify for European football means that he can work closely with them again. UEFA's ownership rules prevented INEOS from being as hands-on as Nice qualified for the Champions League.
Will INEOS bring success back to Manchester United? Give us your prediction in the comments section.
Wilcox, meanwhile, will hope to enhance his growing reputation at Old Trafford. "Jason, for me, is a guy at the coal face," Ratcliffe told the Times earlier this year. "He ran the academy at Manchester City. Txiki Begiristain, I know, thought Jason had the best eyes in the club.
"Jason knows what'S working, what'S not working in terms of how Ruben's playing, his system, which players he's picking, which players we are going to buy in the future. And Jason's got views on all of those things. And when I listen to Jason speak, I get what he'S saying."
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