Manchester United’s academy has been a shining light in the troubled times for the first time but they are about to lose the man who made it all happen to Everton.
Ineos have made a concerted effort to supercharge the youth system which was already thriving before their arrival.
As a result, players like Chido Obi, Samuel Lusale, and Sekou Kone, among others arrived, and they will be joined by Enzo Kana-Biyik and Diego Leon this summer.
However, the man who was tasked with overseeing the development of all these prospects and often credited with the turnaround of the academy is now set to depart the club.
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Man Utd set to lose Nick Cox to Everton
In a stunning development, iNews reports that Man Utd are set to lose their director of academy Nick Cox to Everton.
Everton have offered him the top role of Technical Director, where he will be tasked with overseeing the overall long-term vision of the club.
Although he’s leaving for a smaller club in terms of profile, the job title seems to have turned his head, as he will oversee the club ops, not just the academy.
The report states that the departure is amicable and Cox will stay at Old Trafford in the coming months to facilitate a smooth succession plan.
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It also reports that Cox has previously been headhunted by other clubs but he felt this was the right job opportunity for him.
Unfortunately for United, they didn’t have the position to satisfy Cox’s ambitions, as Jason Wilcox recently took a similar role at the club months after Dan Ashworth’s departure.
The road ahead for Man Utd
Cox has been credited numerous times by academy prospects as having a huge hand in their rise so his departure will sting a lot.
Ineos can either get a “best-in-class” person from outside or promote from within, but the position undoubtedly needs filling.
Darren Fletcher has served as a conduit between the academy and the first team so he could step up and become the director of the academy, but the skill sets the two entail are not very similar.
Ineos have shown before that they aren’t afraid to go out there and poach the best from other clubs either, so they could be tempted to run with that strategy again, although no clear options have been reported so far.
Ultimately, it’s a sign of appreciation for the academy at Carrington that the people associated with it are rated so highly.
The work to replace him begins now.