Manchester United turmoil: Amorin becomes the target of public criticism, the person who stands behind the scenes may be the greater sinner

Manchester United is currently experiencing unprecedented turmoil, and all the pressure seems to be on head coach Ruben Amorin alone. However, this situation should not be solely borne by the Portuguese coach. Behind the scenes, a person who is also decisive, football director Jason Wilcox, is ignored.

Wilcox has been given nearly absolute power since the departure of technical director Dan Ashworth in December. He has been promoted from technical director to football director and now controls two key areas: transfer coordination and football philosophy.

This summer, Wilcox's influence in important transfers such as Cunya, Mbemo and Cesco is obvious. In theory, these signings are intended to lay the foundation for Amorin's beloved 3-4-2-1 system. However, the cruel reality is: Manchester United lacks coherence and exposes many tactical problems.

Wilcox's role should have been more prominent in this context. A true football director is definitely not just about showing up during the transfer window, he also needs to fight side by side with the head coach, analyze data, evaluate tactical effects, and most importantly, intervene in time when the project deviates from track.

However, Wilcox chose to remain silent. He showed "full of confidence" in Amorin, allowing the Portuguese coach to face the three-guard system alone, which has not been fully optimized.

The question is, is this trust or letting go? A big club like Manchester United must not operate by relying solely on "faith". When the system is in trouble, the football director must play a role of "active checks and balances": both providing support and applying appropriate pressure. If Amorin insists on using the 3-4-2-1 formation, but his performance has not improved for a long time, Wilcox needs to take the initiative to propose changes and even suggest a formation that is more suitable for the existing personnel configuration.

Wilcox can draw on how Dan Ashworth demonstrated his authority. During Eric Tenhach's coaching, Dan Ashworth intervened in his ball-handling mode without hesitation. Ashworth once pressured Tenghach to adjust his strategy to make the game style more flexible and practical. Since then, the team's performance has indeed improved. Tenghah was not finally dismissed until all efforts failed.

The most dangerous thing is this silence, which makes Amorin the only "scapegoat". The media criticized the coach, the players were confused, there was a lack of clear guidance within, while the top leaders were out of the matter like bystanders. Wilcox's last public appearance was in mid-July, when he said some irrelevant words, saying he was "very excited about Manchester United's preparations for the new season."

Now it's time to let Wilcox change his attitude. He needs to work together with Amorin to support Manchester United's head coach through tactical adjustment suggestions and make clear results requirements. This is not to fight for power, but to re-define the direction of the team. Amorin alone can’t take on all this, nor can Manchester United continue to let the team’s helmsman get lost in the storm without guidance from the podium.

In modern football, failure is not only the responsibility of the head coach, but also the problem of the entire mechanism. At this moment, Jason Wilcox needs to prove that he is not only the shadow behind the transfer period, but also the helmsman who truly leads Manchester United football.