Manchester United
Wilcox outlines Manchester United transfer approach: team first, low risk signings
Wilcox says: recruitment now favours team-focused, low-risk signings and thorough background checks.
Jason Wilcox has set out a clear recruitment philosophy for Manchester United that prioritises collective cohesion over assembling a group of high-profile individuals. He contrasted the club’s approach with other examples of star-studded forward lines, noting that a focus on the collective can ultimately produce the results clubs seek.
“The most important thing is that, whenever we bring in a player, they have to want to improve and they have to be a team player, and understand what it means to be part of a successful team,” Wilcox, who is now leading sporting operations, told the club’s Inside Carrington podcast. He added that the club is screening for personality and professionalism as well as ability.
“It is not about putting the Harlem Globetrotters together. If I look at successful Man Utd teams, there were very functional players that would die for the badge and there were some mavericks. When you hear anybody talk about [Eric] Cantona, he was an ultimate professional.”
Wilcox wants a stable environment at Carrington and pointed to small signs of the culture changing, including players arriving early for training. “What we have got to try to do is, whether we are winning or losing, we can’t have the pendulum shifting so much where it affects the mood in Carrington. If anyone comes into Carrington, actually, the first thing they say when they go away is ‘it’s nothing like it appears from the outside.’”
He acknowledged a more chaotic summer transfer window heading into 2024–25 when Erik ten Hag was still manager, during which the club spent more than £200 million on Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte. By contrast, the summer of 2025 was executed to a plan and cost around £228 million on Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Šeško and Senne Lammens.
“With this one [in summer 2025], we knew the plan, we knew which players we were going to target, we had our lists, we knew which areas of the pitch we needed to improve,” Wilcox explained. “It is really important then that we do the background checks on whether they are clean-living professionals. This is really important. This year, we looked at Premier League -ready players and certainly with Bryan and Matheus, we couldn’t take too much risk in this area. We needed players that we could plug in and play, with little transition time.”
Wilcox emphasised that some signings were long considered: Lammens had been recommended by ex-United goalkeeper Tony Coton a year before his arrival and was described as “very reflective and very professional.” Šeško was highlighted for his team-running and called a “top professional.”
Manchester United
Manchester United and adidas Unveil LFSTLR Line with 1990s Design Cues
Man Utd launch adidas LFSTLR retro collection: black third kit nod to 1990s and vintage styling. 2025
Manchester United have moved off the pitch to generate fresh attention after a run of mixed results. A recent three-game winning streak ended with a 2–2 draw against Nottingham Forest, but the club’s new apparel release has drawn widespread interest.
The black third kit in the adidas x United LFSTLR collection is a clear nod to the early 1990s. The shirt is reminiscent of the change jersey worn between 1993 and 1995 and blends vintage football motifs with urban fashion. It features a twist on the cult snowflake graphic used for the club’s 1990–92 away strip, with a blue all-over pattern on black and white checkerboard, a yellow adidas Trefoil and accents, and a retro-looking shield-backed United crest.
Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Leny Yoro model the jersey in a photoshoot staged around a vintage campervan parked in an urban setting. The LFSTLR range extends beyond the shirt, with a hoodie and tracksuit included in the collection.
Vintage styling has become prominent in 2025. Back in April, United released a reissue of the white adidas jersey worn in the 1991 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup final against Barcelona. That final saw Alex Ferguson guide the club to a second trophy in as many seasons—and his first European prize since moving to England.
On the pitch, the club remains focused on returning to the heights of the 1990s. United are targeting Premier League glory by 2027–28 to coincide with the club’s 150th anniversary. The success of the early Premier League years, when United won back-to-back titles in 1992–93 and 1993–94, came after ending a 26-year drought that stretched back to the 1960s. Key to that era was a strong spine of players: Peter Schmeichel, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Roy Keane and Eric Cantona.
“I think your spine of a football team is critical,” Gary Neville mused during an appearance on the Stick to Cricket, the sister podcast of his Stick to Football show from The Overlap.
Neville has called on senior players to do more. “I think [Harry] Maguire and [Matthijs] De Ligt should be doing a lot better than they are. You know, you look at the experience that those two have got. De Ligt’s played a mountain of games at sort of different levels, the highest level. Harry’s played so many times for England. ]
Carabao Cup
Ronaldo Backs Ruben Amorim and Urges Structural Reform at Man Utd
Ronaldo backs Amorim, blames club structure and calls for youth development at Manchester United via
Cristiano Ronaldo has publicly defended Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim, arguing that the difficulties the club has faced this season are largely beyond the coach’s control. United made significant investments over the summer, particularly in attack, and while there have been encouraging signs, the campaign has included notable setbacks, not least in the Carabao Cup.
Speaking with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo sought to reduce pressure on Amorim and placed responsibility higher up the club hierarchy. “He’s [doing] his best. What’s he going to do? Miracles? Miracles [are] impossible. We say in Portugal, ‘Miracles [are] only in Fatima.’ He’s not going to do miracles. Even the players. Manchester United have good players, but they don’t have, some of them, in their minds what Manchester United is,” Ronaldo said.
Beyond the manager himself, Ronaldo highlighted a lack of long-term planning and a shortage of youth within the first team. “You have to follow intelligent, smart people to create a base for the future as Manchester United have so many years ago. Nicky Butt, Gary [Neville], Roy Keane, [David] Beckham. They become big players, but they had youth,” he said.
He continued: “Manchester United, right now, they don’t have a structure. I hope that changes in the future. Present, future because the potential of the club is amazing. It’s one of the most important clubs of the century.”
Ronaldo also made clear that he still watches the club closely because Man Utd is “still in his heart,” while urging honesty about its present condition.
Statistical context in the discussion noted that Manchester United have an average squad age of 25.4 years, per Transfermarkt, and that most current starters were signed within the last five years. The club’s 88-year record for selecting a homegrown player remains intact, but Ronaldo acknowledged that the current squad is far different from the side he played for under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Manchester United
Wolves Explore Erik ten Hag as Replacement Option After Vítor Pereira Exit
Wolverhampton considering Erik ten Hag after Vítor Pereira exit; Ten Hag is a free agent since September.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have placed Erik ten Hag on their list of managerial possibilities following the sacking of Vítor Pereira. While a return for former boss Gary O’Neil remains under consideration, The Athletic report Ten Hag is also being “considered” as a potential successor.
The 55-year-old is a free agent after Bayer Leverkusen sacked him in September. His spell in Germany lasted only long enough to oversee two Bundesliga matches before the club made the change.
Wolves have “discussed internally” the prospect of bringing Ten Hag back to the Premier League. He left Manchester United last October after nearly two and a half years in charge. During his time as United manager he won the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024, but his tenure was overshadowed by defensive problems, inconsistent results and a well known falling out with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Statistically, Ten Hag oversaw 128 matches with the Red Devils across all competitions. He guided the team to 70 wins, 23 draws and 35 loses. Of the 85 Premier League games he managed, the Red Devils lost 27 of them.
His dismissal followed a poor start to the 2024–25 campaign when United collected just 11 points from their opening nine matches. That run came after an eighth place finish the previous season, which at the time represented the club’s worst finish in the Premier League era.
Should Ten Hag take the Wolves job he would inherit a side struggling for results, with the club on two points from their first 10 matches. Any appointment would represent a significant task, moving from a short stint in Germany back into a relegation fight in the English top flight.
