Dan Ashworth has left his role as Manchester United’s sporting director just five months after taking charge.
Ashworth arrived at Old Trafford in July having been placed on gardening leave by former employers Newcastle United.
The football boffin was ushered in as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s behind-the-scenes revolution at United, with Ashworth one of several senior appointments by the INEOS chief.
But after less than half a year in the role, there has been an admission in the United boardroom that things haven’t worked out, with Ratcliffe said to have been key in pulling the plug.
The 53-year-old’s departure was confirmed during a meeting at Old Trafford on Saturday night, with a recognition things haven’t worked out for Ashworth since joining from Newcastle.
It’s claimed by The Athletic that United were the instigators behind the separation, although the club themselves insist the decision was mutual.
There had previously been claims that Ratcliffe, who labelled Ashworth “one of the top sporting directors in the world” in February, was angry he’d pushed hard to keep Erik ten Hag at the club during the summer.
Ten Hag was offered a contract extension in the off-season, despite rumours he’d be sacked following United’s FA Cup triumph over rivals Manchester City.
Ashworth was part of an intricate INEOS hierarchy that had been designed purposefully to get United competing on and off the pitch again.
The Englishman, who had been placed in charge of the club’s overall football performance, recruitment and operations, reported directly to Omar Berrada – the new CEO who arrived from Manchester City earlier this year.
He was given considerable backing in the summer transfer window, with just under £200m spent on new talent, including deals for Leny Yoro (£59m), Manuel Ugarte (£50m) and Joshua Zirkzee (£36m).
Things didn’t go to plan after Ten Hag’s initial stay of execution though, with the Red Devils winning just three of their opening nine league matches.
Ten Hag was eventually let go in late October, with Ruben Amorim eventually picking up the reins following a four-game interim spell for ex-United ace Ruud van Nistelrooy.
But there hasn’t been much in the way of a new manager bounce for Amorim, who himself has managed one win from four Premier League fixtures, including back-to-back defeats in his two most recent outings.
United currently sit 13th in the Premier League table, nine points off the Champions League spots.
