Martinez calls out United director Wilcox by name after Champions League loss to Atletico

Lisandro Martinez publicly targeted Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox after the club’s 2-0 Champions League defeat away to Atletico Madrid, declaring: “I expect more from our technical director” and criticising the club’s summer recruitment strategy while backing head coach Michael Carrick.

The Argentine defender’s outburst has thrown a spotlight on Wilcox, a 55-year-old former professional winger who won the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers in 1995 and earned three senior England caps during a playing career that also took in Leeds United and Leicester City.

Before arriving at Old Trafford, Wilcox spent 11 years at Manchester City, rising to academy director, before a spell as Southampton’s director of football. He joined United as technical director in April 2024 and was officially promoted to director of football in June 2025, giving him executive authority over first-team recruitment, player development, tactical alignment and scouting.

Among the structural changes under his watch, Wilcox dismantled the club’s previous transfer hierarchy, reset wage limits and managed the coaching transition that brought Carrick into the head coach role.

The summer window that has drawn Martinez’s ire saw Wilcox direct more than £160 million into midfield reinforcement: Carlos Baleba arrived for £65 million, Andrey Santos for £48 million and Youri Tielemans for £35 million, with free-agent goalkeeper Karl Darlow also added. However, no striker was secured and the backline was left short on depth — omissions that Martinez made clear he holds the director of football accountable for.

The public nature of the criticism is a significant moment for Wilcox, whose administrative reputation was built quietly over more than a decade at the top of English football. Whether United’s hierarchy responds to the defender’s demands — or closes ranks around their director of football — will shape the club’s approach to the January transfer window.