The Red Devils’ co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS top level management personnel have already put in place key guidelines that are as good as being cast in concrete that all future managers would have to comply with, with no exceptions.
Manchester United new technical director Jason Wilcox has been officially appointed as the person to set out a blueprint that will demarcate a definitive style of play that will be enforced on all levels of the club and any new incoming manager has to anide by it, according to The Sun.
Despite nothing being conclusive at this juncture, United could part ways with manager Erik ten Hag before next season, and the Dutchman’s successor will have to agree to several rules which the British billionaire and his close aides believe will take the club forward.
One rule, which is expected to be a major sticking point is that the new boss will not be able to use their own style of play, with Wilcox tasked with dictating the style of play going forward.
It is most likely that Ten Hag will be told to agree to the new bylines and the other four rules if he wants to remain in charge of Man United beyond this season.
53-year-old Wilcox joined Old Trafford last month after more than a year with Southampton as their director of football. Prior to that he was Manchester City’s academy director before joining the Saints and was also the head coach of their under-18s for four years before that, winning a national championship title and two FA Youth Cups.
Some clubs play the same style of football across their academy, youth teams and first-team, aa pholosophy that Man United are most keen to adopt. However, it remains to be seen whether Ten Hag or a new manager will agree to their demands of having Wilcox in charge of such a key area.
Ratcliffe also wants the new manager to agree to a recruitment model based on bringing in five new players under the age of 25 this summer, and the Red Devils have no plans to sign big-money players either.
The fourth rule will see the manager only asked what positions he would like to see Man United recruit in and not the players he wants, and the CEO, director of football and technical director will then find three players for the role who fit in with the model of player and team they want.
The manager will then be tasked with picking one of those three before the Old Trafford club make a concrete transfer move.
With the new guidelines being put into place, it appears Man United want a head coach – not a manager – from the look of things, with Ratcliffe hoping his plans can get the Red Devils back to the top of English and European football once again.