Man Utd rebuild is 'not a quick fix', says director of football Wilcox

Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox has acknowledged the scale of the task facing the club, admitting there is no "quick fix" and stressing he "prays we get the opportunity to turn it around."

Wilcox, who arrived at Old Trafford in 2024 as part of a leadership overhaul, has seen Ruben Amorim's side continue to struggle on the pitch.

United sit 14th in the Premier League following last weekend's 3-0 defeat to rivals Manchester City, extending a poor run that followed a dismal 2024-25 campaign.

Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe flew in on Thursday for talks with under-pressure head coach Amorim, as well as Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada.

Speaking at a gala dinner marking the 40th anniversary of the Association of Manchester United Players, Wilcox admitted he had underestimated the scale of the job.

"I didn't realise how big this club was, even though I’ve competed against the club as a player and as a coach," he said.

"This club is just a wonderful football club, and I’m extremely privileged. I just pray that we get the opportunity to turn it around. I really feel that it’s not 'will we win again,' it's 'when we are going to win again.

"It's going to take time, it's not a quick fix, especially now with the [profitability and sustainability] regulations. We needed to change the playing squad.

"We've now made some really good additions this summer. Sometimes taking players out of the squad is just as important as the players that you bring in."

Since Matchday 12 of last season, when Amorim took over at United, no Premier League side to feature throughout that period has fared worse — the Red Devils have collected just 31 points from 31 matches with a goal difference of -13.

United signed five players over the summer and moved 11 out of the first-team squad, despite failing to qualify for Europe. Cost-cutting also led to redundancies, which Wilcox described as a difficult but necessary part of restructuring.

"It has been a rollercoaster. I came in last April so I've been in just now over 18 months and it's been a real challenge. I'm not going to lie, I thought the club was in a much better place than what it was," admitted Wilcox. 

"We had no football identity, we lacked alignment between ownership and the CEO on football and the academy."

United, who face Chelsea on Saturday, will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they return to Old Trafford.