Man United chief rules out building ‘Harlem Globetrotters’ squad as he explains club’s transfer strategy | OneFootball

Manchester United’s director of football, Jason Wilcox, has outlined the club’s strategic approach to squad building under manager Ruben Amorim, emphasising the creation of a selfless, hard-working unit rather than assembling a collection of individual stars.

This philosophy comes in the wake of a significant overhaul designed to reverse the club’s fortunes after a challenging period.

The Red Devils endured a difficult 2024-25 season, finishing a disappointing 15th in the Premier League – their lowest top-flight position since 1974 – and suffering defeat in the Europa League final against Tottenham.

This prompted a substantial refresh of the playing squad, seeing high-profile figures such as Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford depart, while Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, and Senne Lammens were brought in.

Amorim’s revitalised side currently sits eighth in the league standings, just two points adrift of second-placed Manchester City, a testament to the summer transfer business that Wilcox believes is crucial for their ambition to return to the summit of English football.

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Wilcox has been impressed with how new signings, including Byran Mbeumo, have settled into life at Man United (Getty Images)

"It is so important (to sign the right characters)," Wilcox explained on the Inside Carrington podcast.

"I think you have to bring players in that bring something different to the changing room. But 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."

He firmly rejected the notion of simply acquiring big names. "It’s not about putting the Harlem Globetrotters together. If I look at successful Man United teams, there were very functional players that would die for the badge and there were some mavericks.

“You talk about (Eric) Cantona, but when you hear anybody talk about him he was an ultimate professional."

Wilcox reserved particular praise for the new arrivals, describing forwards Cunha and Mbeumo as "plug in and play" talents, and highlighting goalkeeper Lammens, who had been on the radar of goalkeeping scout Tony Coton for a year.

The meticulous process of shaping the squad, both for immediate impact and long-term success, is ongoing as United aims to mark their 150th anniversary in 2028 with a Premier League title.

"Last year’s summer window was a lot more chaotic than this one," Wilcox noted. "This one was really calm, 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."

He detailed the collaborative recruitment strategy: "These are continuous meetings with myself and Ruben, with (director of recruitment) Chris Vivell, with his team underneath, where we’re very clear on the profiles that we need. So the brief will come from myself and Ruben, it goes into Chris.

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Wilcox revealed he regularly speaks with Ruben Amorim about transfer strategy (Martin Rickett/PA) (PA Wire)

“A lot of debate and discussion around the profiles of what we need, and then the scouts will go into the market, we will combine that with the data team and there will just be constant dialogue."

Wilcox concluded by stressing the comprehensive nature of their approach: "Right now, I’m having weekly meetings with the recruitment team on the different profiles, the age bracket, the cost. Are they attainable? With Ruben as well, so it is a really joined-up approach.

“When we sign a player, there are so many people that are involved in the process. The data team are involved in the process and we will then focus all our attention on certain players. It’s really important then that we do the background checks on whether they are clean-living professionals."