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Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly 'killed' the chances of the club moving to sign one unnamed signing this summer. Sporting director Jason Wilcox has faced mounting criticism in recent weeks following Lisandro Martinez's explosive interview, which took direct aim at the transfer chief over this summer's dealings. United had been keen to strengthen their midfield this summer, with Elliot Anderson amongst the names on their radar. Wilcox is understood to have been a tremendous admirer of the England international, who subsequently joined rivals Manchester City from Nottingham Forest for £116m in the summer.
Despite this interest, the club ultimately opted against pursuing the former Newcastle midfielder, instead bringing in Carlos Baleba for £70m, Andrey Santos for £50m and Youri Tielemans for £35m.
According to the Daily Mail, Ratcliffe's stringent budget rendered a move for Anderson financially unworkable given the constraints the club are operating under. United were ultimately able to recruit two midfielders for the equivalent cost of Anderson, with funds still remaining for Baleba.
Within the same report, one agent described Wilcox's situation as 'incredibly difficult', with pressure mounting on the United transfer chief following a deeply underwhelming summer transfer window.
The agent revealed: "Jason is in an incredibly difficult position. Everybody would think he's the decision-maker at the club, but he absolutely isn't.
"Manchester United is run by the owners, Sir Jim and the Glazers. If you sack Wilcox, nothing will change. It's a mess."
A further source added: "We had a deal agreed with Jason and then Jim got involved and tried to change it. He ended up killing it."
Wilcox found himself on the receiving end of a furious outburst from Martinez following last week's Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid.
The Argentinian defender stated: "I have to control myself a lot. But sometimes it's a reflection of how our club is at the moment, you know?
"We did a fantastic season last season, and now we expect more from the top, from above, you know, to bring more players to compete, because many, many teams bring many players in as well, and today also, Atletico have an amazing team, and they deserved to win today.
"I expected more from our technical director. I have to be honest, you know? And also, as players, we have to do more, but it's also important when you make a strong squad to be ready for these kinds of nights."
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