Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth
Dan Ashworth has left Manchester United (Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire)
Joe Cole has slammed Dan Ashworth, who has just left as Manchester United's sporting director, for the 'terrible' transfer decisions that have set the club back 12 months. The 53-year-old, who came from Newcastle United, was in charge of football performance and recruitment at Old Trafford.
He was seen as a major coup by the club's owners, INEOS, and spent £200m on new players over the summer. However, after manager Erik ten Hag was let go just 13 games into the season, Ashworth has now also left the club.
United are currently 13th in the Premier League, having lost their last two games under new manager Ruben Amorim. Cole, a former Chelsea and England midfielder, thinks Amorim's options are limited because of some questionable signings.
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He said: "I wouldn't say this season is a write-off for Manchester United - they could still build some momentum. But they are absolutely going through a rebuild. There are so many players in that Manchester United team that I don't think can take them where they want to go."
Over the summer, United spent around £200m on just five players: Leny Yoro from Lille (£58.9m), Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich (£42.9m and £17.9m), Manuel Ugarte from PSG (£50m), and Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna (£36.5m). Cole has criticised the United decision-makers for their poor performance in the first transfer window, stating to Paddy Power: "I praised the Manchester United staff, who have all come in with stellar reputations. But their first transfer window was terrible – it probably set United back by a year."
"They can't miss in the next transfer windows; they need to get players that can play for this United squad. They won't get the top players – they won't want to go to Manchester United.
"They need to go underneath that and find the best young players with characters you can develop and become top class. Manchester United are not eating at the top table – that's just a fact."