Exclusive Silvestre interview: Did Wilcox have a right to insist Amorim changed formation? | OneFootball

Former Manchester United defender Mikaël Silvestre has been expressing his strong views about what happened between Jason Wilcox and Ruben Amorim at Manchester United.

Amorim was sacked by the club after a frosty press conference in which he implied that Wilcox had been overstepping his role as director of football. Reports claimed that Wilcox, possibly under pressure from those above him in the club hierarchy, was pressing the Portuguese to play a four-at-the-back formation rather than his preferred back three.

Silvestre was speaking to The Peoples Person in an exclusive interview hosted by Esports Insider. Since retiring from the game, he has enjoyed a successful career in football administration, working as sporting director at Stade Rennais, and more recently operating as a high-level football advisor at CFR Cluj, performing director of football duties on a non-contractual basis. This background allows him a unique insight into Wilcox’s role at United.

The director of football’s role

Asked about reports that Wilcox had questioned Amorim’s use of a back three and encouraged a return to a back four, Silvestre was clear that such intervention is part of the job.

“First of all, it’s part of your role to hire the manager,” Silvestre explained. “But after that, of course you have discussions about tactics with the manager.”

Drawing on his own experience in sporting roles, Silvestre stressed that directors of football are not simply recruiters or data analysts.

“Jason hasn’t been a coach, but he’s been a player — he knows the game,” he said. “He’s not someone just sitting behind a desk looking at numbers. There’s more to it than recruitment.”

Wilcox well within his rights

Silvestre pointed to United’s recent performance against Newcastle United as a practical example of why those conversations are justified.

“If you look at the way the team was playing, the back four looked more suited to the majority of the players,” he said. “At that point, you’re entitled to have that discussion with the manager, because it’s your responsibility to make sure the team is getting points. It’s not only on the manager’s shoulders.”

Silvestre also highlighted how the current structure at United differs from previous eras in English football.

“It’s very different from the time of Alex Ferguson, or Arsene Wenger at Arsenal,” he said. “When you have a sporting structure, the director of football and the manager need to work together.”

In that context, daily discussions about systems, performances, and marginal gains are inevitable.

“I’m not surprised those discussions happened,” Silvestre concluded. “It’s quite normal.”

The first part of our exclusive interview with Mikaël Silvestre can be read here.

Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images

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