Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been slammed for the “shocking” decision to sack Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth as two potential replacements are named.
Dan Ashworth has left his position as sporting director at Manchester United, just five months after joining from Newcastle United.
Ashworth was appointed during the summer as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s sweeping changes to United’s management structure. His move from Newcastle required a protracted negotiation, with Ashworth serving six months of gardening leave before United paid £3 million in compensation to bring him to Old Trafford.
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Despite the considerable effort to secure his services, Ashworth’s tenure has been cut short. His exit follows United’s 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening.
Reports suggest that while CEO Omar Berrada led the discussions surrounding Ashworth’s departure, the decision was heavily influenced by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Ironically, Ratcliffe had been one of the key advocates for hiring Ashworth just a few months earlier.
An “embarrassing” decision
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, former Premier League striker Alan Shearer has slammed Ratcliffe for his decision, labelling in a shock and embarrassment.
“I mean, we said that didn’t we – ‘who is going to run that, who is going to do this, who is going to do that?’.
“They got a chief executive in, a sporting director in, Jason Wilcox, Dave Brailsford. I mean, there are so many big hitters in there that it always looked a difficult situation.
“I was really surprised when I saw that yesterday. To give [Erik] ten Hag a new deal, to give him so much money to spend on the players, to pay the compensation then to get rid of him and to bring the new man in.
“I mean, oh my word. It’s just so embarrassing for a club of that size – well, for any club – let alone a club of that size.”
Two replacements named
Meanwhile, reports from Italy have stated that although no decision is expected to be reached soon, United are discussing are discussing the possibility of attempting to hire current Atletico Madrid sporting director Andrea Berta as an Ashworth replacement.
Berta is leaving his post at the end of the season, andiIt is said that he is one of the profiles that United are said to be “evaluating,” with a certain possibility that he may arrive at Old Trafford in 2025.
Meanwhile, the club have also been linked with Paris St. Germain brainiac Luis Campos. It’s stated that shoud UNited move for a replacment, he is ‘top of their wish list’.
However, they are set to face fierce competition from Arsenal should they gun for Campos, with the London club following the recent departure of Edu Gaspar.
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