Dan Ashworth has left Manchester United
Dan Ashworth has left Manchester United
Manchester United sources have revealed the “very difficult decision for both parties” following the departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth after just five months.
The decision for Ashworth to leave his role is said to have been made “collaboratively” following a period of transition for United under new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe had a major say in the decision to part ways with Ashworth, who is ultimately said to have not fitted in with the structure United want going forward.
That is despite United working tirelessly to prise Ashworth from his previous role at Newcastle, where he was place on gardening leave for four months while a compensation package was agreed.
[
Manchester United confirm shock Dan Ashworth exit in short 41-word statement](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/breaking-dan-ashworth-leaves-manutd-34272031)
In the end, United ended up paying Newcastle in the region of £10million to land Ashworth, only to jettison him less than six months into his new role as sporting director.
United confirmed the exit in a short statement on Sunday morning which read: "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."
Ashworth joined United on July 1, having been described by part-owner Ratcliffe as “one of the top sporting directors in the world ”. But his departure was agreed in a meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada after Saturday’s 3-2 Premier League defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Ashworth had, along with the rest of Ratcliffe’s Ineos hierarchy, been part of the decision to hand former manager Erik ten Hag a new contract in the summer, having been quoted in the official announcement in June.
However, Ten Hag was sacked in October, with that contract extension adding to a sizeable compensation bill of £10.4million, before the appointment of Ruben Amorim, who took charge last month after United paid around £11m to get him from Sporting Lisbon.
Ashworth was also heavily involved in an expensive summer of recruitment, with the combined fees for Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee costing around £200m.
United spent around five months trying to prise Ashworth out of his previous role at Newcastle, with the 53-year-old going on gardening leave, but Ineos must now try again to fill one of the most important roles at the club.
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.