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Turns out he could survive defeat by lower-league opposition. Survive an important continental showpiece against one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He withstood losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, laying waste to some of the club’s best academy products, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the poorest in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, Amorim came at Jason Wilcox and seems to have failed. Even the most casual observer will notice the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed his squad for losing individual battles crumbling when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been easy, given his brief stint of experience at Southampton, to view him as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with his former boss a fellow executive as any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless a previous executive earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a tactical intellect that the club's mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

The Strategic Conflict Regarding Formation and Philosophy

For example, this was the director who having been part of the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to abandon his beloved formation. Naturally, these pleas were resisted. However, such directives hold greater authority when issued from the mouth of a man the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of three England caps and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day he might be asked why Amorim is departing with a full payout, without any penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like him – function at a level exceeding our prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not equivalent to being ready to comprehend it.

An Supreme Authority In Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. The director is, after all, merely executing the directives of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt analytics and metrics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he announced that United’s style of play “shall be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are superior: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply better. Whom else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the building of a modern arena that looks similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

A Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Over Coaches

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Maybe previously possible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to join a club and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many companies have these guys established? How many large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to determine the strategy in the boardroom and appoint a coach who can tailor their methods to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not creating the product, but still finally accountable should it be delivered cold or leaks out of the box.

Nowadays, their job has become not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged whereas the people who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Modern Corporate Game: Responsibility for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, whose decisions are always sacrosanct, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then dismiss him for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and later bin them for taking too long. And above all be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the reality that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.