Manchester United are in talks to appoint a new member of staff, who previously worked with Jason Wilcox at Manchester City; he fits the INEOS plan to a tee.
Manchester United have had another poor start to the Premier League season, as they did under Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjær in years gone by.
Despite Rúben Amorim now being the man in charge, United have failed to see improvements on the pitch and suffered another embarrassing defeat against Manchester City last weekend.
While on the pitch, United face another tough test against Chelsea, but they have been making good progress off it, with improved financial numbers announced today following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s year of cost-cutting.
The improved finances can’t help United immediately – and boy do they need it – but they will help the club plan for the future, a key change that Ratcliffe has made since he bought a stake in the club.
INEOS are looking to improve United for the long term and, while this doesn’t solve the issues now, they have built a solid platform for the club to grow. Another new addition could strengthen the foundations at Old Trafford.
United open talks to sign Wright
United signed Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada from Manchester City because they were key people at one of the best-run clubs in the country, and they could be set to be reunited with a former colleague.
After the high-profile departures of Nick Cox and Adam Lawrence from the club’s Academy in the past two months, the Manchester Evening News have reported that United have opened talks to sign Alan Wright, who would join the Professional Development Phase group, which includes the under-18s and under-21s squads.
While Wright spent 10 years as an under-16s coach for City – working closely with Wilcox – it is understood that the transfer was recommended by Travis Binnion, who played with Wright at Sheffield United.
Binnion is the current United under-21s manager, but his official job title is “Head of player development and coaching”, meaning he would work closely alongside Wright if his move is finalised.
If Wright does join United, he would be another INEOS recruit who would play a crucial role in the future of the football club, as he would be responsible for the development of United’s best young talents.
INEOS need to continue with youth strategy
Since Ratcliffe bought a minority stake in United, the focus in the transfer market has shifted to signing promising young players, like Diego Leon and Sékou Koné.
While this doesn’t help United in the short term – unless they break into the starting side like Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven – it prepares the club for the future, and United have neglected that for several years.
The frequent manager turnover at Old Trafford has led to the youth sides changing system and player preparation often, which hasn’t helped the generation of youngsters coming through the academy sides.
However, since INEOS joined United, they have ensured that the youth sides continue their own development, most notably by continuing with a 4-3-3 formation, rather than using Amorim’s own 3-4-2-1.
This way, the young players at United can learn a set philosophy rather than just one system, meaning in the eventuality that Amorim is sacked – which is looking more likely by the day – they will not have to learn an entirely new system, as the next manager will hold similar principles.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.