David Ornstein has revealed Manchester United’s plans for the January transfer window following the exit of Dan Ashworth.
Dan Ashworth, hired as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s restructuring of Manchester United’s leadership, arrived from Newcastle United during the summer.
His appointment followed drawn-out negotiations, including six months of gardening leave, with United paying around £3 million in compensation to secure his early release.
Despite the significant effort to bring him in, Ashworth’s time at Old Trafford has ended abruptly and the sporting director departed the club on Sunday.
Reports indicate that the decision was made by the club, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe playing a central role in Ashworth’s exit.
David Ornstein explains United’s January plans after Ashworth exit
After breaking the news that Ashworth would be departing, The Athletic’s team went into more detail on the situation in their podcast.
David Ornstein revealed that interim director of recruitment Christopher Vivell will be ‘heavily involved’ in the January transfer window for the Old Trafford outfit.
Although, the award-winning journalist also explained that it is not expected that the Reds are particularly busy in the mid-season window.
“You have Christopher Vivell, who is Director of Recruitment. And so, although it was presented as a temporary appointment, he’ll be heavily involved in January in whatever they do, which might not be very much,” explained Ornstein.
“And of course, moving towards the summer, let’s see how long he’s continued for on what is said to be a relatively short contract.”
What position does Amorim want to strengthen
This follows on from several reports which suggest left wingback will be the position United try to strengthen in January if they are to make movement.
Diogo Dalot has been stationed in the position during the start of Amorim’s tenure but it is clear that a more natural option is needed.
Alvaro Fernandez is among the players to be linked with the club. The former United defender has a buyback clause in his Benfica contract worth around £16 million.
Alphonso Davies has also been linked with a move to the club, but any deal for him would wait until the summer when his contract at Bayern Munich runs out.
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