Just when it looked like at least the executive structure at Manchester United was settled, another change came and this was the most seismic one.
Dan Ashworth’s Man Utd departure after just five months as the sporting director threw the club into yet another tumultuous period when the on-pitch scenario isn’t much better.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe was clearly unhappy with Ashworth and his way of working wasn’t in line with the rest of the structure, leaving him as the odd man out.
It is a move that has taken a disastrous turn quickly and the “best-in-class” executive structure doesn’t look so secure anymore with a gaping vacancy.
Fortunately for United, a potential Dan Ashworth replacement is already in the building and he might even be an upgrade on him if Ashworth’s reported shortcomings were any indication as to the type of person Ineos is looking for.
Manchester United's sporting director, Dan Ashworth (C) takes his seat for the UEFA Europa League, League Phase football match between Manchester ...
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Why did Dan Ashworth fail at Man Utd?
Dan Ashworth is a professional who was lauded as one of the best in the world by Sir Jim Ratcliffe as early as February of this year before departing in a shocking moment.
From all the reports that have come out since that news, it is clear that while Ratcliffe and Co. advocated for a dynamic and risk-taking way of running the club, Ashworth was more the “steady hand” type.
It was reflected in multiple decisions. Ashworth’s list of Erik ten Hag replacements was all tried and tested managers with English Premier League experience.
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His previous experience was building clubs with a propensity towards a pronounced English core, be it at Newcastle with Eddie Howe, his work with the English FA, or at Brighton before they went global.
Ratcliffe, on the other hand, went all-in on Berrada and his approach of high-risk, high-reward by signing off on the Ruben Amorim deal.
Therefore, it is clear that the main pain point in the dynamic between Ratcliffe and Ashworth was the different ways of looking at the future.
That thought process resonated with Berrada but as the CEO, it is unlikely that he will take up footballing matters full-time too.
He won’t have to because a person who aligns with exactly that strategy is already in the building and his name is Christopher Vivell, the current temporary director of recruitment.
Christopher Vivell, an upgrade on Dan Ashworth
If Sir Jim Ratcliffe was exasperated with Ashworth’s approach of “tried and tested”, then the spectrum doesn’t swing to the other end more extremely than Vivell’s approach.
Domenico Tedesco, Head Coach of RB Leipzig speaks with Christopher Vivell, Technical Director of RB Leipzig during a RB Leipzig Training Session at...
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Vivell made his name working with the Red Bull model which is all about finding young and dynamic hidden gems in the European market without restricting himself to a certain region.
Furthermore, if Amorim’s brief tenure at the club so far can be summarised in one word, that word would be “intensity”. There’s no other game model that aligns more closely with that philosophy than Red Bull’s model which is all about pressing hard and high.
Amorim likes to work with young players, and Vivell likes to buy young players. Amorim likes to see intensity and “mad dog” running from his players, and Vivell’s skills have been honed in a game model which prioritises fitness and intensity.
Most importantly, at 37, he fits right in line with Amorim’s hire in Ineos’ philosophy of bringing the best of the next generation of top professionals to the club.
The fascination with having an English core doomed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure at the club and left United red-faced in the market with the signings of Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Jadon Sancho, to name a few.
It seems like Ratcliffe was wary of repeating that and engineered Ashworth’s departure at the slightest hint of seeing that tilt.
The chain of events undoubtedly reeks of panic and indecisiveness as it currently stands but if it ages well- and with Vivell’s track record it looks like it might- then nobody will shed any tears over losing Ashworth.
United might still be doing the right thing in the long-term and if some short-term pain and rectification of mistakes is necessary to achieve that, then so be it.
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