Jason Wilcox has been appointed as Director of Football at Premier League club Southampton.

Bolton-born Wilcox, who had spells with Blackburn, Leeds and Leicester during his playing career, will take up the role at the end of the season.

He has been at Manchester City since 2012 in several coaching roles, taking up the position of Academy Director in 2017.

An official statement read: "Everyone at Manchester City would like to thank Jason for his excellent work."

Wilcox will take responsibility for “all football departments” at Southampton, including the men’s and women’s first teams and the Academy. He will also be involved in player recruitment.

Chairman Henrik Kraft has been impressed with the work he has carried out at City and believes he is “the perfect fit” for the Saints.

He told the club’s website: “We are so pleased to announce Jason as the new Director of Football at Southampton.

“His strong track record, not only as a player, but also as a senior football executive makes him the ideal candidate to lead our football department going forwards.

“Jason was someone who stood out from the start of our search. He is the perfect fit for Southampton, someone who is hardworking, diligent and passionate about improving himself and those around him.

“At City he has helped develop some fantastic young players and delivered a pathway for them to be able to comfortably adapt into a competitive first team environment.

“We are convinced that Jason will continue the great work he has achieved at Man City here at Southampton and look forward to him joining us in the summer.”

Southampton currently sit bottom of the Premier League, having won just four league matches since the start of the campaign.

However, Nathan Jones’ side are just a point from safety at this stage following a crucial 2-1 win against 19th-place Everton last weekend.

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