Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth
Dan Ashworth has reportedly left Manchester United (Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire)
Manchester United are facing fresh questions from supporters after announcing that sporting director Dan Ashworth will be leaving the club by mutual agreement.
The club statement comes only 160 days after they communicated his arrival from Newcastle United on 1 July. United had to reach an agreement with their Premier League rivals to release Ashworth from his Newcastle contract, paying them around a £3million compensation fee.
That concluded four-and-a-half months of negotiations after the Reds officially approached them over Ashworth in mid-February. To coincide with that move from United, Newcastle placed their sporting director on gardening leave after he requested his release.
The club announced Ashworth's impending departure not even 23 weeks after he joined. United released a club statement at 10:30 on Sunday morning, 15 hours after the sporting director attended their 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.
The communications department's 41-word statement reads: "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."
United now have a departing sporting director 24 days before the winter transfer window opens on New Year's Day and not even a month after Ruben Amorim joined as their new head coach to replace interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy and former manager Erik ten Hag. Ashworth answered to chief executive Omar Berrada and, ultimately, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The sudden nature of a person Ratcliffe called "clearly one of the top sporting directors in the world" just ten months ago has caused understandable concerns among United supporters. Are you one of them?
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