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Iturns out he endured a loss to Grimsby. Survive a decisive continental showpiece versus a particularly poor Spurs sides for many years. He could survive home defeats to West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, laying waste to the team's best academy products, the 32% win rate, calling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s championship 1994-95 season, the coach came at the executive and appears to have missed. The most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a manager who often railed his squad for losing one-on-one duels succumbing when confronted by the white heat and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this whole painful saga appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, based on his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as little more than a functionary within the club's structure: an individual who owed his position largely to his friendship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. By masterfully outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among football's true generals: a tactical intellect that United’s mid-table rivals will now be rightly wary.

The Tactical Clash Over Formation and Ideology

For example, this was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his beloved formation. Naturally, these entreaties met a certain resistance. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when issued by a man with the impeccable soccer background he possesses, a veteran of three England caps and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, without any compensation reduction clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks publicly, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate at a level exceeding our prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, probably all we would hear would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not quite the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Power Behind the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his superior the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to embrace analytics and analytics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting early in his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach to football “shall be determined in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, fundamentally superior. Whom else would you trust to manage a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Over Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to go into a club and see their vision through to completion. But how many businesses have such individuals set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Better by far to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the strategy in the boardroom and hire a coach who will adapt their offering accordingly. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not creating the food, yet finally accountable if it arrives cold or leaks out of the box.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the public face for a club they can do little to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined whereas the people who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Neoliberal Game: Responsibility Only for the Coaches

And possibly on some microcosmic level this represents corporate governance at work: the rise of a gilded overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions are always untouchable, whose mistakes can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Appoint the system coach only to fire him for using too much 3-4-3. Bring in the project manager and then discard him for taking too long. And above all be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – remain in control.