Jason Wilcox finds himself under exact same pressure as last time Manchester United visited Elland Road to face Leeds

Manchester United go into Sunday's game at Elland Road in a position they are all too familiar with. Under pressure.

Michael Carrick's under pressure. The players are under pressure. And perhaps there is no one more under pressure than Jason Wilcox.

The club's director of football was the target of Lisandro Martinez's post-match outburst following the defeat to Atletico Madrid in midweek, with the Argentine singling him out for not doing enough to prepare for the club's return to the Champions League.

Martinez issued an apology on Thursday after internal talks, and Wilcox still has the backing of his bosses at Old Trafford. But he must be starting to think there is something in the Yorkshire water as he was also the centre of controversy the last time Manchester United visited Leeds.

Rewind back to the start of the year. The two sides played out a rather unremarkable 1-1 draw. Matheus Cunha cancelling out Brenden Aaronson's opener. However, the big talking point came during the post-match press conference.

• Lisandro Martinez apologises for outburst
• 'Awful' and 'disrespectful' - Carra and Rooney criticise Martinez outburst
• Martinez's Man Utd future in doubt after comments
• Man Utd fixtures & scores | FREE Man Utd highlights ▶️

Ruben Amorim was the man in the away dugout that day, and defended his position in sensational fashion.

"I came here to be the manager of Manchester United. Not to be the coach. That is clear," Amorim reiterated to journalists.

"I know that my name is not [Thomas] Tuchel, it's not [Antonio] Conte, it's not [Jose] Mourinho, but I'm the manager of Manchester United and it's going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decides to change."

Two days later, Amorim was sacked. Then came the details of the explosive meeting with Wilcox that appeared to be the beginning of the end.

Ahead of the trip to Elland Road, a meeting was held between the two where Amorim's tactical approach was discussed in detail.

Sky Sports News understands Amorim's 'emotional and inconsistent behaviour' was a key factor in the decision and a refusal to adapt and evolve his preferred 3-4-3 system led to a breakdown in confidence.

Ultimately, the decision to fire Amorim was one that put an end to in-house tension, but not one that would cause fireworks among the fanbase. Results under the Portuguese had not been convincing across his 14-month tenure.

That would be further justified when Carrick came in and secured Champions League football during his interim spell. He was subsequently handed the permanent gig by Wilcox and co.

Having seen the positive work that Carrick had already overseen, the change in fortune since means fans, like Martinez, are starting to look above the head coach for an answer.

An outlay of £163m was the investment into the squad thanks to the signings of Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba.

Was that enough to 'back' Carrick? Martinez didn't think so, but Wilcox certainly does.

Speaking in a message published to the club's website following Tielemans' arrival, he said: "Last season, I wrote about the sense of responsibility to help get this great club back to the top.

"A year on, we can be proud of the progress we have made towards our ultimate goals. We have taken great strides forward and can be confident that we have the right structures and processes in place to achieve regular and sustained success in the future.

"We can all be proud of the winning culture that is developing at Carrington as we continue to build a talented and determined group of players ready to compete across all four competitions."

Since those words, United have had a record-breaking start to the Premier League campaign for all the wrong reasons. They were eliminated from the Carabao Cup at the point of entry. Ironically, Wilcox watched the exact same events unfold last season.

Elland Road was where things all came to a head under Amorim. After Martinez's comments, the same could be said again. This time though, the problem can't just be removed, even with the apology.

Does this force Wilcox's hand to open up further dialogue with supporters? As Sky Sports News' Danyal Khan pointed out, it would be appreciated.

"The shame is that there has been a lack of clear communication from the leadership. I know they do the in-house media sometimes. Jason Wilcox will do an interview here and there, but I really think it's missed," Khan said in a special Sky Sports vodcast.

"Any time I go to Old Trafford, that's the issue. They want more clear communication. I don't know the reason why they haven't done that. But, I think if Wilcox did a day of media in pre-season, that would've gone a long way with fans."

Away to Leeds is always a tough game for United. The last two occasions, Wilcox has been the man in the spotlight.

In January, he found his way out by sacking Amorim. Squashing the beef with Martinez is his attempt to do the same now. Question is, will it be enough if United's dismal form continues?

The longer things don't change on the pitch, the more Martinez's original outburst will appear to ring true with supporters. Now that he has specifically been brought up by a player, it will be a lot harder for him to shift the blame.

Watch Leeds vs Man Utd live on Sky Sports on Super Sunday from 1pm; kick-off 2pm.

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Jason Wilcox finds himself under exact same pressure as last time Manchester United visited Elland Road to face Leeds