Dan Ashworth Leaves Manchester United
Dan Ashworth is out as Manchester United’s sporting director after just five months. The team confirmed his departure. Ashworth started on July 1 and was praised by part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe as one of the best in the game. But things didn’t go smoothly for him. His exit follows a tough 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest, which put United in 13th place in the Premier League. Dan Ashworth Leaves Manchester.
ICYMT: Brighton Beaten 3-1 as Fulham Jump to Sixth
Club’s Statement
The club released a statement saying, “Dan Ashworth will be leaving his role by mutual agreement. We thank Dan for his work during a tricky time for the club and wish him well.” Even though the club says it was a mutual decision, the timing of Ashworth’s departure raises some eyebrows about the people running the club.
Challenges Faced
During his short time at United, Ashworth made some key choices. He extended manager Erik ten Hag’s contract back in the summer. But Ten Hag got fired in October, which added over £10 million to the club’s costs. Ruben Amorim was brought in as Ten Hag’s replacement last month, costing around £11 million to get him from Sporting Lisbon. Ashworth also managed a big summer spending spree, where the club spent £200 million on players. These included Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Joshua Zirkzee. Interestingly, it took a long time to negotiate Ashworth’s move from Newcastle, where he was on a break before joining United.
Rumors About His Exit
After Saturday’s game, Ashworth reportedly met with CEO Omar Berrada and was later seen talking with COO Collette Roche. This news comes after Ratcliffe spoke in an interview and admitted he made a few mistakes in picking the right people for the club. Ratcliffe reflected on lessons from managing other Ineos teams, saying, “If I hadn’t done Nice and Lausanne, we wouldn’t have come into United knowing it’s quite a journey. We made some errors with our choices, but we’ve learned.
