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Itranspired the manager could survive defeat by lower-league opposition. He weathered an important European final against one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He could survive home defeats against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, squandering the team's best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to tango. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning 1994-95 season, Amorim took on the executive and seems to have missed. Even the most casual observer can see the irony here: a manager who frequently berated at his players for losing individual battles succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, given his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. By masterfully outsmarting United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of football's strategic masterminds: a strategic mind of which the club's competitors will now be justifiably concerned.

The Strategic Conflict Regarding Formation and Philosophy

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to abandon his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these pleas were resisted. However, these judgements carry more weight when issued from the mouth with the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he might agree to outline his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is departing with a full payout, without any penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like him – function on a plane beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear would be ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Authority Behind Command

Naturally, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the real power behind the club's current leadership. The director is, after all, merely executing the commands of his line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to embrace data science and metrics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he announced that United’s style of play “shall be determined in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in these intricate football matters, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply better. Who else could one trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a new stadium that appears similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

The Modern Football Hierarchy: Directors Over Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. For decades, teams mistakenly delegated major sporting choices to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for a young, innovative manager with ideas and drive to join a club and see their vision through to completion. But how many companies have these guys set up? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. Better by far to determine the strategy in the boardroom and appoint someone who can tailor their methods to suit. If managers were formerly chefs, they are now more like Deliveroo drivers: not really creating the food, yet ultimately answerable should it be delivered poorly or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead of an organisation they have minimal power to influence. Enzo Maresca leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Football: Responsibility for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents corporate governance in action: the rise of a gilded overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices are always untouchable, whose mistakes can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then fire them for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and then discard them for taking too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – are in charge.