'The pressure is a privilege' - Wilcox outlines Man Utd vision

Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox says the pressure of delivering success back to Old Trafford is "a privilege", but warns the club cannot afford to be distracted by external noise.

Wilcox stepped into the main role at United earlier this year following the exit of Dan Ashworth, who left the position after just five months.

The former Blackburn and Leeds player now has input in all key areas of United operations, although he has largely been under the radar and avoided media engagements.

However, speaking to United's internal media, Wilcox has explained where he thinks the club is and his strategy for dealing with the huge amount of debate surrounding it.

"I try not to read it," he said. "The pressure is a privilege. It won't go away because this is the biggest club in the world. But you can't have the pendulum swinging so much it affects the mood.

"Nothing is like it appears from the outside. Internally, we know what we need to do and the players understand where we are.

"We are making progress on and off the pitch and despite the noise, we are remaining calm.

"There will be bumps in the road but we don't get over exited or too disappointed."

Wilcox also said he is delighted by the impact of the four major summer signings - Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Senne Lammens and Benjamin Sesko.

He added that United would like to be further on in their restructure but they have to be realistic about the time it will take.

"We have to pull the jigsaw pieces together," he said. "We would love to have all the pieces in place but we are really clear in the direction of travel.

"We can't just keep talking - we have to deliver. But we also need to be patient."