Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox has reportedly accepted an offer to join Manchester United and has stepped down from his role at St Mary’s.
It was previously reported on Monday that the Red Devils had approached the Championship club for the 52-year-old, who had previously spent ten years at Manchester City.
Despite this, Southampton rejected the proposal and were seemingly displeased by the timing of Man United’s inquiry just before their crucial league match against promotion rivals Ipswich Town.
The Saints ultimately suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Ipswich Town due to Jeremy Sarmiento’s late injury-time goal, leaving them 12 points behind the automatic promotion spots with two games in hand.
Reports suggest that Southampton declined a compensation offer equivalent to a year of Wilcox’s salary from Manchester United, who were unwilling to increase their offer and maintained that the proper procedures had been followed.
Nevertheless, the Red Devils can breathe a sigh of relief as they won’t have to engage in fee negotiations with Southampton. According to Fabrizio Romano, Wilcox has recently submitted his resignation and is now poised to make his way to Old Trafford.
At 53 years old, Wilcox is expected to take on the role of Man United’s technical director under Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Upon learning of their interest, he swiftly made up his mind to join the 20-time English champions.
Despite Southampton rejecting Man United’s financial offer, Wilcox has taken matters into his own hands and reportedly reached an agreement on his contract with the Premier League side.
Wilcox’s return to Manchester will reunite him with Omar Berrada, with whom he had a fruitful partnership during their time at Manchester City before Berrada assumed the position of Man United’s new CEO.
The arrival of the Southampton expert may pave the way for the appointment of Dan Ashworth as football director, although Man United are currently facing difficulties in reaching a compensation agreement with Newcastle United for the services of the 53-year-old.