Jason Wilcox has been appointed as Manchester United’s technical director after the club agreed compensation with Southampton.

The 53-year-old will start work immediately and is due in at Carrington on Monday. He is will report directly to new sporting director Dan Ashworth who is expected to be appointed in due course.

United’s current technical director, Darren Fletcher, will continue to play a key role in the football leadership team working across the men’s first team and academy,.

A club statement read: ‘Jason Wilcox has joined Manchester United as Technical Director with immediate effect. He will work with all technical areas of the football department to achieve the highest standards of performance.

‘Jason was previously director of football at Southampton and before that academy director at Manchester City. As a player he won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers in 1995.’

Manchester United have announced the appointment of Jason Wilcox as the club's new technical director

Southampton also released a statement confirming the announcement, ‘reluctantly’ allowing Wilcox to leave after just nine months in the job having reached an agreement with United over compensation.

The club also announced they have negotiated a compensation fee with the 13-time Premier League champions who are continuing to overhaul their sporting department.

It read: ‘Southampton Football Club can today confirm that it has reluctantly agreed to allow Director of Football Jason Wilcox to join Manchester United, having reached an agreement with the Premier League side on an acceptable compensation fee.

‘Whilst the club is naturally disappointed that Jason’s stay at Southampton has only lasted nine months, it wishes him well for the future. 

'The club will continue to work closely with Russell Martin and his back-room team to ensure they have all the support they require moving forwards.’

Wilcox will also team up again with United’s new chief executive Omar Berrada having worked together at City. Berrada is on gardening leave until the summer.

Meanwhile, Ashworth is expected to become the next high-profile appointment as efforts continue to secure his release from Newcastle United.

The 53-year-old is keen to become sporting director at Old Trafford and has been placed on gardening leave by the Magpies.

Mail Sport understands the period of gardening leave written into the sporting director’s current contract would take him towards the January transfer window of 2026.

That means Man United will have to negotiate an enhanced compensation fee to release him early or meet the terms of his contract and wait for his gardening leave to expire.

Ashworth will replace the outgoing sporting director John Murtough who will leave his role at the end of the season.

First-team manager Erik ten Hag is set to benefit from structural boardroom reinforcements being put in place at the club, however, his own future at United remains uncertain.

Ten Hag is attempting to lead a struggling United squad to a second consecutive FA Cup final when his side take on Championship outfit Coventry City at Wembley on Sunday.