Wilcox backed Russell Martin as future Man Utd manager before his career unravelled

Manchester United technical director Jason Wilcox identified Russell Martin as a future managerial candidate for the club during internal discussions in 2024, according to The Athletic — a endorsement that now looks strikingly premature given Martin’s subsequent run of dismissals.

Wilcox, who joined United from Southampton, was part of the group tasked with drawing up a shortlist of potential replacements for Erik ten Hag ahead of the 2024 FA Cup final. Ten Hag had overseen a difficult Premier League season, and United’s hierarchy were preparing contingency plans. Wilcox advocated for Martin, whom he had personally appointed at St Mary’s and who had guided Southampton to the Premier League via the play-offs after a club-record 25-match unbeaten run.

Wilcox acknowledged at the time that Martin was not yet ready for a job of United’s scale, but flagged him as a manager worth monitoring. That assessment has since been tested severely. Martin was sacked by Southampton just 16 games into the 2024/25 Premier League season, with the club bottom of the table having lost 13 of those matches. He then took charge at Rangers, lasting only 17 games before being dismissed again. He has since been appointed at Leicester, currently in League One, where the Foxes sit tenth.

Ten Hag, meanwhile, survived the 2024 scare by beating Manchester City at Wembley to win the FA Cup — United’s second domestic cup in successive seasons — and was handed a contract extension. He lasted just nine games of the following campaign before Ineos ended his tenure. Ruben Amorim was brought in as his successor but has also since been dismissed, with Michael Carrick now in charge under mounting pressure.

Wilcox’s own standing at the club has come under scrutiny. Defender Lisandro Martinez publicly called him out following a defeat to Atletico Madrid, saying: “I expect more from our technical director. I have to be honest. And also, as a player, we have to do more. It’s also important to build a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night.”

The episode illustrates the turbulence that has defined United’s decision-making under Ineos, with Wilcox’s early faith in Martin now serving as a footnote in a broader story of managerial instability at Old Trafford.