'Not putting the Harlem Globetrotters together' - Man Utd looking for players who would 'die for the badge' as Jason Wilcox details new transfer approach

In an interview on the club’sInside Carringtonpodcast, Wilcox insists the deals were rooted in discipline and design rather than desperation.

"You have to bring players in that bring something different to the changing room, but the most important thing is that whenever we’re bringing in a player who comes here, 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 said.

"It’s not about putting the Harlem Globetrotters (an American exhibition basketball team) together. If I look at the successful Man United teams, there was very functional players that would die for the badge and there were some mavericks.

"When you talk about (Eric) Cantona, when you hear anybody talk about him, he was an ultimate professional. When I look now and I see the car park, the report time is at 9.45am, you see the lads coming in at 8.30am, 8.45am, preparing for training. This is a good sign."

Wilcox believes that United are now recruiting players who embody the spirit of the club and would sacrifice everything to succeed in red. And work is already going on behind the scenes to prepare for another eventful summer in 2026.

"Last year’s summer window was a lot more chaotic than this one," he admitted. "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.

"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. It’s a real joined-up approach when we sign a player. It’s so many people that are involved in the process. The data team are involved in the process. We will then focus all our attention on certain players, and it’s really important that we do the background checks around are they clean-living professionals? This is really important."

After a turbulent start to the campaign, United’s season has steadied under Amorim. The Portuguese coach endured fierce criticism earlier in the season after United managed just two wins from their first seven games in all competitions. But his side are now unbeaten in four league matches following a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest, leaving them eighth in the Premier League but only two points behind second-placed Manchester City. It took nearly a year for Amorim to oversee back-to-back league wins, but Wilcox insists the manager’s project is finally taking shape.

"Ruben’s got a very clear idea. It’s a lot more flexible, the idea, than what people give it credit for," Wilcox added. "We’ve got to start with the end in mind and understand that the game model, how Manchester United are, is really important.

"We have to pull the jigsaw pieces together and put the jigsaw pieces together. We would love to have all the pieces in place where we can see a very clear picture, but whilst we’re building the picture, it’s even more difficult when you lose some football matches, because people start questioning things. But myself and Ruben, Omar, the ownership, we’re really clear on the direction of travel, and this is really important."

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