Man United lose 3-0 to Bournemouth as fans sing against Jason Wilcox

Manchester United lost 3-0 at Old Trafford to Bournemouth, and most of the home crowd sang the name of director of football Jason Wilcox with an obscenity more than once, BBC Sport reported.

It was the second three-goal defeat for United in a week. Their manager, Michael Carrick, has now gone eight games without a win, the club's worst run since 2015-16. BBC Sport's live coverage said his future as manager was in serious doubt after the Bournemouth game.

Wilcox is a former England winger who won the Premier League with Blackburn in 1994-95. He joined United in April 2024 as technical director, a role that shapes the club's football planning and transfer work. Before that he spent 15 months in a similar job at Manchester City, where he had earlier run the academy. He worked there alongside Omar Berrada, now United's chief executive, and Stephen Torpey, who was made head of the academy at United in August 2025.

The criticism has been building for some time. Less than two weeks before the Bournemouth game, the Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez said publicly: "I expect more from our technical director." Sporting director Dan Ashworth was sacked during a disagreement over who should replace Erik ten Hag as manager. Ruben Amorim was then brought in, but he was sacked in January 2026 after 14 months in charge. Before he left, he had criticised outside interference in how the team was set up and named Wilcox as one of those involved.

Money has also been a sore point. Manuel Ugarte was injured while playing for Uruguay at the World Cup, which ended a plan to sell him in the summer and raise cash. Barcelona also pulled out of a £26m deal for Marcus Rashford. The club's side says the size of the transfer budget is set higher up, not by Wilcox.

Carrick has taken some of the blame himself. He said he accepted responsibility for the slump and believes he can turn things around, Reuters reported. He also pushed back on criticism of the team's approach. Whatever system or tactics are used, he said, players must run, and they must run forward. Carrick took charge in January 2026 and had steered United to a top-three finish before this slide.

Wilcox has backed him. He has called Carrick an excellent coach who knows what it takes to win at United, and said Carrick had earned the chance to carry on. Wilcox has also said United will keep targeting players who want to play for the club, and he has set out the club's ambitions and recruitment plans in a message to supporters.

Some reports have gone further. Yahoo Sports has reported that Wilcox is leaning towards Eddie Howe as a replacement if Carrick is sacked. United have not confirmed it.

For now, Carrick is still in charge. The fans at Old Trafford have made their feelings clear, and the next few results will decide how long the patience lasts.