Dan Ashworth leaves Manchester United just five months after joining as sporting director
Dan Ashworth has left Manchester United after just five months. Ashworth joined the Red Devils as sporting director on July 1 after a lengthy period of gardening leave at Newcastle United. Ashworth only became sporting director at Man United in JulyAFP talkSPORT understands that the two clubs agreed a £10million compensation package. However, the transition has not been smooth and an exit has been decided on. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is believed to have played a key role in the decision to part ways. In a brief 41-word statement, United said: “Dan Ashworth will be leaving his role as Sporting Director of Manchester United by mutual agreement. “We would like to thank Dan for his work and support during a transitional period for the club and wish him well for the future.” Ratcliffe, and right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford, put the 53-year-old in charge of ‘football performance, recruitment and operations’ at United. Jason Wilcox reported to him as technical director. Ashworth had a meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada at Old Trafford following the club’s 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. He played a huge role in their £183million spending spree in Ineos’ first transfer window. United signed the likes of Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee, and Noussair Mazraoui. Ratcliffe will need to find a new sporting directorGetty He was instrumental in the signing of Zirkzee for £36.5million and Ratcliffe has not been impressed so far. Ashworth was also quoted by club media in each of the transfer announcements, showing how key he had been to things at the club. He was also tasked by Ineos with clearing the wage bill in the summer, but failed to find takers for big earners Antony and Casemiro. Ashworth also played a key role in the decision to hand Erik ten Hag a new contract in the summer. He was quoted in the official club announcement in July when the club confirmed Ten Hag would be staying. However, the appointment of Ruben Amorim was spearheaded by Berrada and not Ashworth. The then sporting director favoured hiring an English manager, with Gareth Southgate top of his list. Sources have described there being a personality clash between Ashworth and Berrada. He had been a long-term target for Ratcliffe in his overhaul of the football operations at Old Trafford. “Dan Ashworth is clearly one of the top sporting directors in the world,” United’s co-owner said in February. “I have no doubt he is a very capable person. He is interested in Manchester United because it’s the biggest challenge at the biggest club in the world. “It would be different at City because you’re maintaining a level. Here it’s a significant rebuilding job. He would be a very good addition.” It took four months of negotiations between Man United and Newcastle to agree on a compensation package to help the Magpies comply with Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules. At one stage Newcastle were believed to be demanding up to £20m in order to rip up his deal at St James’ Park. They agreed on a deal believed to be half that figure. Man United currently sit 13th in the Premier League following their defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Reacting to the news of Ashworth’s departure, journalist Henry Winter said: “Dan Ashworth came in from Newcastle United via attending his garden and now for this to happen… “I wrote a book a few years back on England and spent some time with him and he’s very meticulous and very hard-working. He knows so much about players all over. “When he was at the Football Association he was tracking thethe young stars coming through in all the elite and less elite football countries. Ashworth favoured an English manager over AmorimGetty “He absolutely had his finger on the pulse of emerging players and you’d have thought he’d been absolutely perfect for Manchester United. “Obviously there’s a bigger issue at play here, but it’s just bizarre.” Ratcliffe says in this interview with United We Stand that they’re paying the price for very poor recruitment, data analysis doesn’t really exist and is still in the last century. But when asked if Ashworth had time to correct that, Winter said: “It’s good to see and hear owners communicating you know directly to fans because ultimately you know they are the most important people in the club along with players. “But I just find that absolutely bizarre. He talks about the data analysis, he says it doesn’t really exist. He calls the recruitment very poor and that is what Dan Ashworth was brought in to address. “So I think it’s very bizarre.” Alex Crook’s verdict talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook gives his take on the situation: It will be fascinating to see how United explain this because on the face of it, it looks like another very costly mistake by Ineos. When you think how long they spent trying to g
Dan Ashworth has left Manchester United after just five months.
Ashworth joined the Red Devils as sporting director on July 1 after a lengthy period of gardening leave at Newcastle United.
talkSPORT understands that the two clubs agreed a £10million compensation package.
However, the transition has not been smooth and an exit has been decided on.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is believed to have played a key role in the decision to part ways.
In a brief 41-word statement, United said: “Dan Ashworth will be leaving his role as Sporting Director of Manchester United by mutual agreement.
“We would like to thank Dan for his work and support during a transitional period for the club and wish him well for the future.”
Ratcliffe, and right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford, put the 53-year-old in charge of ‘football performance, recruitment and operations’ at United.
Jason Wilcox reported to him as technical director.
Ashworth had a meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada at Old Trafford following the club’s 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
He played a huge role in their £183million spending spree in Ineos’ first transfer window.
United signed the likes of Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee, and Noussair Mazraoui.
He was instrumental in the signing of Zirkzee for £36.5million and Ratcliffe has not been impressed so far.
Ashworth was also quoted by club media in each of the transfer announcements, showing how key he had been to things at the club.
He was also tasked by Ineos with clearing the wage bill in the summer, but failed to find takers for big earners Antony and Casemiro.
Ashworth also played a key role in the decision to hand Erik ten Hag a new contract in the summer.
He was quoted in the official club announcement in July when the club confirmed Ten Hag would be staying.
However, the appointment of Ruben Amorim was spearheaded by Berrada and not Ashworth.
The then sporting director favoured hiring an English manager, with Gareth Southgate top of his list.
Sources have described there being a personality clash between Ashworth and Berrada.
He had been a long-term target for Ratcliffe in his overhaul of the football operations at Old Trafford.
“Dan Ashworth is clearly one of the top sporting directors in the world,” United’s co-owner said in February.
“I have no doubt he is a very capable person. He is interested in Manchester United because it’s the biggest challenge at the biggest club in the world.
“It would be different at City because you’re maintaining a level. Here it’s a significant rebuilding job. He would be a very good addition.”
It took four months of negotiations between Man United and Newcastle to agree on a compensation package to help the Magpies comply with Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules.
At one stage Newcastle were believed to be demanding up to £20m in order to rip up his deal at St James’ Park.
They agreed on a deal believed to be half that figure.
Man United currently sit 13th in the Premier League following their defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Reacting to the news of Ashworth’s departure, journalist Henry Winter said: “Dan Ashworth came in from Newcastle United via attending his garden and now for this to happen…
“I wrote a book a few years back on England and spent some time with him and he’s very meticulous and very hard-working. He knows so much about players all over.
“When he was at the Football Association he was tracking thethe young stars coming through in all the elite and less elite football countries.
“He absolutely had his finger on the pulse of emerging players and you’d have thought he’d been absolutely perfect for Manchester United.
“Obviously there’s a bigger issue at play here, but it’s just bizarre.”
Ratcliffe says in this interview with United We Stand that they’re paying the price for very poor recruitment, data analysis doesn’t really exist and is still in the last century.
But when asked if Ashworth had time to correct that, Winter said: “It’s good to see and hear owners communicating you know directly to fans because ultimately you know they are the most important people in the club along with players.
“But I just find that absolutely bizarre. He talks about the data analysis, he says it doesn’t really exist. He calls the recruitment very poor and that is what Dan Ashworth was brought in to address.
“So I think it’s very bizarre.”
Alex Crook’s verdict
talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook gives his take on the situation:
It will be fascinating to see how United explain this because on the face of it, it looks like another very costly mistake by Ineos.
When you think how long they spent trying to get Dan Ashworth out of Newcastle, all the millions of pounds they spent to do that. He’s had one summer transfer window and he’s left the club.
This comes on the back of a summer in which United expensively agreed to stick with Erik ten Hag as manager.
I wonder ultimately, despite the fact that United will probably dress this up as mutual consent, is this Dan Ashworth paying the price for that decision?
I know that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has had a big say on it and it was agreed after that defeat against Forest yesterday.
I think Graham Potter was another manager that Dan Ashworth was advocating for as well as Gareth Southgate.
And if you go back to the way that Amorim was appointed, it was Omar Berrada who led the charge. My understanding is that Sir Dave Brailsford was one of the first people to actually speak to Amorim in person.
So if you’re in the position at the football club that Dan Ashworth is and effectively you’re not really a key part of those negotiations, then maybe the writing was on the wall. But it’s a really bad look for Ineos and for Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
It comes on the back of sticking with Ten Hag and paying him more than £11million to go away. It comes as ticket prices at Old Trafford have been controversially put up to £66 even for a junior.
Ratcliffe addressed that yesterday in one of the fanzines and made some clumsy comments in my opinion, tone deaf comments about the fact that it’s not right that tickets at Fulham are more expensive than Manchester United.
So I think when you look at what Ineos has done so far, and I do think Amarin probably long term will be the right man for the football club, I’m not that impressed and I think a lot of United fans will feel the same.
