Sir Jim Ratcliffe maintained that he wanted to let the football people make football decisions but the chief football person has now left the club and he had reportedly a big role to play in it.
Dan Ashworth’s Man Utd departure sent shockwaves in the footballing world as the highly-rated sporting director had been at the helm for just over five months.
Reported disagreements with Sir Jim Ratcliffe are reportedly the chief cause behind it over many decisions, with Dan Ashworth’s three decisions at Man Utd potentially being problematic.
Still, it wasn’t expected that a decision, such an extreme one, would come so quickly and with that, it seems clear that the Ineos chief has put all his eggs in one basket.
(L-R) Ineos Head of Sport Sir David Brailsford, Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada, Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth and Manchester...
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s main man at Man Utd now chosen
The decision comes as a shock but analysing backwards from the final decision, it all starts to make sense chronologically.
Dan Ashworth arrived at Old Trafford and the first major piece of communication he had his prints all over, aside from his announcement message, was the Erik ten Hag contract extension.
Needless to say, that move didn’t work out and Sir Jim Ratcliffe always looked a little uncomfortable with the idea of extending the Dutchman.
That was the first “cross” against Ashworth’s name but the biggest one was yet to come where the Ineos chief chose the horse to bet on in the long-term.
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When it came to selecting Erik ten Hag’s replacement, Ratcliffe was reportedly irritated with Ashworth for not having a clear list and instead relying on a data analysis company.
On the other hand, Omar Berrada flew to Portugal, where he knew their people and not Ashworth. Despite being the CEO and not tasked with leading the “footballing matters”, he sealed the deal personally.
Ashworth’s name or quotes were promptly absent from Amorim’s arrival announcement.
The wedge was clear. Amorim was Berrada’s man, absent from the list of managers Ashworth wanted to hire (those with English experience, like Eddie Howe, Graham Potter, or Thomas Frank).
Sir Jim Ratcliffe had to choose and he didn’t think twice before going with Berrada’s choice and empowering him to seal the deal rapidly. Thus, Ashworth’s influence cratered completely.
Omar Berrada will define Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Man Utd legacy
Now that he has hitched his wagon to Berrada, it is his work at the club that will define Ineos’ legacy at Old Trafford, starting with Ruben Amorim.
When Berrada came in, it was thought that he would oversee both financial and football matters as the umbrella figure and Ashworth would be tasked with the cultural shift in the footballing department.
Over time, it probably became clear to Ashworth that Berrada’s reach would extend to footballing matters, and considering his pedigree as the City Football Group’s Chief of Footballing Operations, that was always likely.
It’s clear that Berrada now had carte blanche to make decisions at the club and the dissenting, or disagreeing voice in Ashworth has been let go.
In the process, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has put all his faith in one man who will now be tasked with defining his legacy at the club.
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