Gary Lineker will leave Match of the Day in May
Gary Lineker has questioned Man United's decision to part ways with Dan Ashworth
Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker have ripped into those running things at the top of Manchester United following Dan Ashworth's shock exit over the weekend.
Ashworth's departure was confirmed on Sunday morning after United's 3-2 Premier League defeat to Nottingham Forest. He was sporting director at Old Trafford after being headhunted by Sir Jim Ratcliffe but lasted just five months in the role.
United confirmed Ashworth's departure with a 41-word statement after the news came out earlier. The decision had sent shockwaves around the football world and left many slamming United's decision-makers.
READ MORE:Sir Jim Ratcliffe might repeat Glazer trick to appoint Dan Ashworth replacement at Manchester United
READ MORE:'Part of the professional game' - Manchester United staff member reacts to Dan Ashworth departure
After Gary Neville expressed his shock at the decision, Shearer and Lineker didn't hold back in their review of the situation on the Rest is Football podcast. "Not only are they poor on the pitch, what on earth is going on off the pitch? It's embarrassing," Shearer explained.
"To go out and get a guy and then he be on gardening leave for six months. He spent longer on gardening leave than he did in his time in the position at Man United. They paid £3m compensation for him and then he left. It's a terrible look, it really is. What on earth is going on at that football club?"
Lineker replied by listing a number of things that have gone wrong at Old Trafford since Ineos' arrival. He said: "It's funny isn't it because Ratcliffe came in and everyone thought that he'd bring in these people. David Brailsford and Dan Ashworth, all was going to be well and everything.
"But it's actually been more shambolic in many ways. We saw the whole Ten Hag situation over the summer, when they're interviewing other managers, they ended up going back to Ten Hag, giving him a contract and then a few months later, firing him.
"They brought Ashworth in and now he's out of the door. They've put the ticket prices up and lots of fans aren't happy about that. They've made big changes at the football club.
Dan Ashworth made a surprise departure from Manchester United on Sunday (Image: PA)
"It's been a shambles in many ways and it just shows that you can be super successful in business and life, whatever you do, but football is a little bit different to business.
Shearer continued to criticise the club. He added: "It's been embarrassing, it really has. The start they've made at that football club and everything that's gone on, for that to happen, the fans must think 'what on earth is going on?'
"It's such a bad look to go out, chase someone as much as they did, pay the compensation for him and then get rid of him." He continued: "We said didn't we? Who is going to do this? Who is going to do that? They got a chief executive in, a sporting director, Jason Wilcox, Dave Brailsford. There's so many big hitters there that it always looked like a difficult situation.
"I was really surprised when I saw that yesterday. To give Ten Hag a new deal, to give him so much money to spend on players, to pay the compensation to then get rid of him and then to get the new manager. Oh my word, it's just so embarrassing, for any club! Let alone a club of that size."