Dan Ashworth was only with Manchester United for five months before he resigned as sporting director. Ashworth left Newcastle for Manchester United after a high-profile and costly recruitment, but the two parties have decided to separate ways. Following Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest, which dropped United to 13th place in the Premier League, Ashworth and Omar Berrada, the CEO, had talks. The resignation of the 53-year-old was approved by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the co-owner.
It became apparent that the appointment was not benefiting either party, and Ashworth felt devalued by the ownership and left out of what he considered to be important procedures. Although the majority of Old Trafford’s stakeholders have been discussing Ashworth’s job for several weeks, the decision surprised the personnel. As soon as it became clear that things were not going as planned, the sporting director’s departure was confirmed on Sunday.
Man United fired Dan Ashworth following a serious disagreement with the club’s leadership
David Ornstein of The Athletic broke the news of Ashworth’s departure this morning, but the excellent report did not address the reason behind the rift between Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club’s part owner, and the man he had referred to as “one of the top sporting directors in the world.” However, it appears that the issue arose because former manager Erik ten Hag was not fired in the summer.
The Mail Online reported on November 5th that “we have heard that United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is now furious with Ashworth and Sir Dave Brailsford… for insisting they stuck with Erik ten Hag in the summer,” according to reporter Craig Hope.
Considering that Ashworth was specifically questioned in September about his role in the decision to retain Ten Hag, this is an intriguing assertion. “Nothing at all,” he said, adding that he hadn’t begun until July 1.
