Dan Ashworth’s spell as Manchester United sporting director has come to an end after just five months.
Amid the growing Ineos brain-trust at Manchester United, Dan Ashworth proved to be the odd-man out.
Ashworth’s managerial recommendations did not impress Sir Jim Ratcliffe. And the Ineos owner did not like some of the other aspects of Ashworth’s reign.
And while it was surprising when United issued a statement on Ashworth’s exit, there is a positive to take away.
Technical director Jason Wilcox and Sporting director Dan Ashworth of Manchester United FC during the Premier League match between Brighton & H...
Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
Ratcliffe’s bad decision rectified quickly
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s decision to appoint Dan Ashworth was widely hailed as a smart move. Former Red Gary Neville praised him as ‘resilient’ and ‘measured’ in the transfer market.
United paid only £2.5 million for Ashworth, a silver lining for the Red Devils that so little was paid to acquire him in the first place.
And it’s possible, unclear, that Ashworth was still into a probationary period of his contract, which would have conceivably made it easier or cheaper to part ways this early.
One thing we do know is that Ineos’ appointment of Ashworth will go down as a ‘swing and miss’, and Ratcliffe can take no credit from getting it wrong.
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Where he does deserve a little credit, is taking responsibility for getting it wrong, and pulling the plug early.
Glazers would have let bad decision fester
There is a proven track record at Manchester United of the Glazers letting bad decisions fester.
A decade ago Ed Woodward was appointed as Manchester United chief executive and permitted to have control over football operations too.
Woodward presided over a disastrous 2013 transfer window after stepping in to replace David Gill, with Marouane Fellaini the only summer signing made for new manager David Moyes.
The outcome was not a swift sacking or his football duties being moved away from him. Ed Woodward was allowed to remain in post and given even more power.
United did not improve, with Woodward only making the situation worse. The Glazers simply turned a blind eye, and he only left his role after the charade of the Super League debacle.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe got the initial decision over Ashworth wrong, with hindsight. But it’s also an appointment the Glazers never would have made, going all these years without ever hiring a sporting director.
A quick pivot to part ways with Ashworth was decisive, and should be welcomed that United are not going to wait too long and allow a bad choice to become even more impactful.
It’s not a high-bar to pass, ‘be better than the Glazers’ – but it is certainly worth pointing out how differently they have approached the situation.
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