Manchester United are looking to improve off-pitch operations and have appointed Manchester City's chief operating officer, Omar Bellada, as its new chief executive.
Manchester United are likely to add former Manchester City Academy director Jason Wilcox (right, with Txiki Begiristain) to their squad.
If you can't beat them, appoint all their employees. Following the bold appointment of Manchester City's chief operating officer Omar Berrada as chief executive, Manchester United are interested in appointing the Blues' highly regarded former Academy director.
Jason Wilcox is taking up a senior role in United's recruitment department, although no contact has been made yet, while Newcastle's Dan Ashworth is looking to take on the role of new sporting director. Bellada, Ashworth and Wilcox will represent a strong team with a strong track record that will be a hierarchy of an elite club.
Given Sir Alex Ferguson's disastrous decision following his retirement, it would be odd to speak in such capable terms about Manchester United's (potential) off-field operations, but INEOS doesn't seem to sit still, buying a 25% stake in the club over Christmas.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, INEOS and Sir Dave Brailsford will take control of sporting affairs as part of the deal, and their initial move is promising from a red point of view – although the rebuild feels very sky-blue.
By focusing on key organisational appointments, Ratcliffe is putting his new house in order before making any major changes to his squad. It's a sign of a plan and goal that United have lacked in recent years, leading to slogans such as "Old Trafford is collapsing".
In an effort to improve the situation, United have not set their sights on Old Trafford. The signing of Berada from Manchester City was undoubtedly a brilliant move, while Wilcox is another name closely associated with Etihad Airways, who ran the profitable academy between 2017 and 2023. At the time, the likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and Oscar were permanently promoted to City's first team, while dozens of others left the City Football Academy to look elsewhere for football opportunities, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in transfer revenue.
According to Manchester City's most recent annual report, there are more than 60 academy graduates who play in the Premier League, EFL or Europe's top five leagues. Six of the starting line-ups that won the 2020 FA Youth Cup are currently playing for Premier League clubs, while three are for Championship sides. Had goalkeeper James Trafford not been called up to the first team that night, it would have been seven. It's not a bad record for Wilcox and is reminiscent of the large number of Manchester United Academy alumni who have played in England and beyond over the years.
Wilcox left Manchester City in the summer to take over as Southampton's sporting director and agreed to the shift before the Saints were relegated from the top flight. But after some shrewd recruitment, the south coast club is expected to return to the Premier League immediately, with a strong Manchester City Academy squad – six players have made the switch from CFA to St Mary's in the past two summers.
If Wilcox does return to Manchester, it will be further Manchester United's acknowledgment that City have recently set the standard on and off the pitch. After picking out the executives in charge of transfer deals to manage their new era, they are now targeting the leaders of Manchester City's prestigious academy.
Manchester United's academy used to be the envy of everyone. Obviously, that's the case with Manchester City right now.
Manchester United still have work to do in terms of the appointments of Ashworth and Wilcox. If they do, they will have capable operators in key positions to try and overtake City again. In order to regain their dominance, they firmly follow City's blueprint.
When it comes to accepting that the power of Manchester is firmly in the hands, it's the ultimate compliment.