Manchester United academy chief Nick Cox has joked he could use his personal connection with Jadon Sancho to one day lure him to the club.
Cox joined the United academy system in 2016 and was promoted to the chief role in 2019 after impressing club officials with his work.
During his time at United the club have continued their incredible tradition of utilising homegrown talents, with Hannibal Mejbri and Shola Shoretire the two most recent academy graduates promoted to the first-team bubble.
Prior to joining United Cox spent 12 years working at Championship club Watford, where he oversaw the development of a young winger called Jadon Sancho.
When asked about his first impressions of long-term United target Sancho, Cox spoke about their working relationship and praised the Borussia Dortmund winger for his continued development.
“Did I know he would play for England and a top team in Europe? Of course I didn’t," Cox told The Athletic. "Did I know he was a good player? Yes. We tried to help him be the best he could be. He was a young kid who absolutely loved football; addicted to it.”
Cox then went on to joke about how he could be the secret weapon in finally luring Sancho to Old Trafford. He added: “Maybe I should be using that relationship to our advantage. But I’m not because it’s against the rules, of course!”
United opted against a club-record move to sign Sancho last summer over concerns about the overall cost of a deal.
The 20-year-old remains a possible future target but a move now seems less likely following the arrivals of young right wingers Amad and Facundo Pellistri on deadline day in October.
