The chances of Jadon Sancho returning to Manchester United in the summer and re-establishing himself in the first-team picture at Old Trafford certainly feel rather slim.
But ‘improbable’ is not ‘impossible’. And, with Manchester United looking to bring in Jason Wilcox from Southampton, the door Erik ten Hag slammed in the England international’s face might just be opening again.
HITC Football understands that Wilcox, who currently works as the sporting director St Mary’s, has been lined up for a senior role at United, potentially with the remit of working under Dan Ashworth.
Omar Berrada, Man United’s new CEO, knows Wilcox from his time down the road at Manchester City and is understood to have recommended the Bolton-born 52-year-old to Sir Dave Brailsford, the right-hand man of Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Jason Wilcox knows Jadon Sancho well
Berrada, meanwhile, is not the only Red Devils employee who has worked with Wilcox at close quarters.
Wilcox spent four years as Man City’s under-18 coach until 2017, after all, and it was during his role behind the scenes at the Etihad that a man capped three times by England over two decades ago ran into a talented young forward by the name of Jadon Sancho.
“For a young kid playing his first under-18s football match, I thought he was sensational,” Wilcox said after a 15-year-old Sancho marked his U18s bow with two goals in the space of just five minutes.
“He’s a talented boy who works really hard.”
Another former Man City man could get United gig
A lot has changed for Sancho – and Wilcox for that matter – in the last eight years.
But with a decision on the winger’s future one of the first tasks sitting in the in-tray of Manchester United’s new decision makers, Wilcox could be a valuable voice of support in Sancho’s corner, particularly if Ineos decide that Erik ten Hag is not the right man to lead the club forward in the long-term.
It is no secret that Graham Potter, a one-time Nice target, has his admirers at Ineos.
Wilcox, during his time at Man City, was also credited with playing a key role in the developments of Romeo Lavia, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Brahim Diaz, who scored a wonderful Champions League winner for Real Madrid at RB Leipzig on Tuesday.
Should he return to Manchester, potentially in a leading recruitment role, Wilcox task would likely revolve around bringing the next generation of rising stars to the red side of the city. But could Wilcox, after reuniting with Berrada at Old Trafford, play a key role in the deciding future of a current member of the Man United squad?
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