Manchester United football leadership member to leave for Everton

Manchester United football leadership member to leave for Everton

Nick Cox took over the running of Man United's academy in 2019 and the club's junior teams have gone from strength to strength.

Cox (third from left) presents Ethan Wheatley with the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award

Nick Cox is to step down as the head of Manchester United's academy after six years and is set to take over as Everton's technical director.

Cox joined United in 2016 and stepped up to lead their academy in 2019. Under Cox's guidance, United won the FA Youth Cup in 2022, recruited Alejandro Garnacho from Atletico Madrid and Kobbie Mainoo emerged into the first team. Ethan Wheatley became United's 250th academy graduate when he came on against Sheffield United in April 2024.

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Everton have headhunted Cox as part of their restructuring under new owners the Friedkin Group. Angus Kinnear was appointed the club's new chief executive last month.

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United sources say Cox rejected various technical director and sporting director roles in the past. Cox will remain at the club for the coming months to ensure there is a smooth transition and a succession play is already underway.

Since Cox was chosen to run the academy over Nicky Butt, 27 academy players have made their debut for the United first team. Garnacho and Mainoo scored in the 2-1 FA Cup final victory over Manchester City last year.

Cox held video calls with Garnacho and his family to convince him to relocate from Madrid to Manchester at the age of 16 in 2020. United also recruited Alvaro Fernandez and Willy Kambwala that year. The pair were sold to Benfica and Villarreal last summer.

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Other notable academy recruits during Cox's time include Harry Amass, Chido Obi and Darren Fletcher's twin sons, Jack and Tyler.

United had gone 11 years without winning the Youth Cup until they defeated Nottingham Forest in the 2022 final at Old Trafford, where a record crowd of 67,492 for the competition was in attendance.

Staff at United credit Cox with implementing enhancements in processes and culture that have raised the standards of an academy that had stagnated in the years after Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Following Brian McClair's departure as academy head, it was jointly run by John Murtough and former club secretary John Alexander in 2015.

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After Cox received the director of academy title in 2022, he also became a member of United's clandestine football leadership group.

Four academy players recruited or nurtured during Cox's tenure were in the United squad for the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last month.

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