Just when Manchester United supporters thought the club's decision-making couldn't appear any more disjointed, a revelation has laid bare the apparent lack of footballing acumen inside Old Trafford.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, especially in football, but according to a report by The Athletic, prior to the 2024 FA Cup final against Manchester City, director of football Jason Wilcox championed Russell Martin as a serious candidate to replace the embattled Erik ten Hag.
It was a time when the club required a proven manager to arrest their slump which had crept in during the late-stage Ten Hag era. Fortunately, Wilcox’s suggested solution was deemed too parochial, even if the club did end up appointing Ruben Amorim whose tenure was short-lived.
How Russell Martin almost became Manchester United manager
The newly-installed INEOS hierarchy was conducting an exhaustive review into Ten Hag’s stewardship in the summer of 2024, actively vetting prospective managers.
Among the names put forward, Wilcox pushed Martin’s, seemingly drawing heavily on their close professional relationship.
It was Wilcox who had hired Martin at Southampton in the summer of 2023 during his brief stint as the Saints' director of football. While Martin did steer Southampton back to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs in May 2024, the idea that he was equipped to lead English football's biggest institution was a hard case to make.
The trajectory of Martin’s career since that 2024 Wembley triumph demonstrates just how disastrous that appointment could have been.
Upon arriving in the Premier League, Martin’s dogmatic approach to slow-tempo possession football unravelled in historic fashion. His Southampton side became notorious for defensive errors, giving up possession inside and around their own penalty area while shipping goals at an alarming rate.
Martin's apparent refusal to adapt or compromise his footballing ideology led to him developing a reputation as an obstinate idealist not equipped for a top-flight survival fight, or perhaps even top level management, let alone the hot seat at Old Trafford.
Man United ultimately opted for Amorim to succeed Ten Hag in November 2024. And while his reign was turbulent, handing the reins to Martin might have been even worse.
For all the flaws Amorim's side displayed on his watch, Martin’s insistence on playing out from deep with an already psychologically fragile defence would most likely have seen Man United dismantled by superior opposition.
The timing of this revelation lands at an inopportune time for Wilcox’s personal credibility. The former Manchester City executive was brought to Carrington by Sir Jim Ratcliffe to deliver a modern, data-driven football structure, but now Wilcox is facing accusations that he is out of his depth.
Pushing his former Southampton colleague forward for one of the most demanding managerial posts in world football doesn't chime with the kind of best-in-class mentality Man United seek. It has, at the very least, exposed a lack of imagination from an executive tasked with restoring a giant club to the summit of European football.
Presently, Michael Carrick clings to the top job on a temporary stay of execution, recruitment chief Christopher Vivell is being courted by Bayern Munich, and the dressing room remains fractured, despite Tuesday night's spirited fightback against AS Roma in the Champions League.
The club are not out of the woods just yet and with a fresh managerial appointment expected in the coming weeks, it could be the most important decision of Wilcox's tenure.
