Sir Jim Ratcliffe was reportedly left 'furious' with Dan Ashworth just weeks before the latter departed his role at Manchester United. Ashworth joined the Red Devils as their sporting director five months ago but has now left the club.
A meeting was reportedly held on Saturday night which resulted in his departure being agreed. It is said there was a recognition that things had not worked out for Ashworth during his short spell at Old Trafford.
The news of his departure comes as a surprise, given the lengths United went to in their efforts to poach him from Newcastle. Last month, it was reported by Mail+ that Ratcliffe and Ashworth were not seeing eye-to-eye behind the scenes.
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The INEOS chief was said to have been 'furious' that his sporting director insisted on sticking with Erik ten Hag during the summer. The decision to back the Dutchman fell flat as he went on to oversee United's worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign.
He was relieved of his duties at the end of October, with Ruben Amorim replacing him during the November international break. It remains to be seen how United will proceed following Ashworth's exit, with staff thought to be stunned given his prominent role in trying to rebuild the club after years of steady decline.
United were reportedly the instigators behind the decision to part ways with Ashworth, but the club are said to have insisted it was a mutual process.
Ashworth, tasked with overseeing football performance and player recruitment at United, was front and centre of the summer spending spree aimed to revitalize the squad. Jason Wilcox, as technical director, operated under Ashworth's guidance during this period.
A headline-making series of acquisitions—including Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee—cemented a whopping $250m (£200m) investment in fresh talent. Each player's arrival at Old Trafford came stamped with a confirmation from Ashworth, underscoring his influential role in these high-profile transfers.
Previous adulations from Ratcliffe had set the stage for Ashworth's tenure, as he heralded: "Dan Ashworth is clearly one of the top sporting directors in the world. I have no doubt he is a very capable person."
Furthermore, Ratcliffe highlighted the distinctive challenge at Manchester United, contrasting it with potential opportunities at rival clubs like City: "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."