Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC at Old Trafford on November 3, 2024 in Manchester, United Kingdom
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made no secret of his admiration for Dan Ashworth in the past
Dan Ashworth was lauded as "one of the top sporting directors" around by Sir Jim Ratcliffe - just months before the Manchester United kingpin decided to axe him.
The club announced on Sunday that Ashworth would be departing Old Trafford in a brief statement, which read: “Dan Ashworth will be leaving his role as Sporting Director of Manchester United by mutual agreement. We would like to thank Dan for his work and support during a transitional period for the club and wish him well for the future.”
Ashworth 's departure sent shockwaves through football given his protracted move from Newcastle. The Magpies were paid the sum of £3million in compensation for the former FA and Brighton chief following a lengthy arbitration process.
It now seems as though United will not even look to replace Ashworth directly after the sporting director clashed with the club's new chief executive, Omar Berrada, and other members of Ratcliffe's football leadership team.
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The decision to initiate a parting of the ways is said to have been driven by Ratcliffe, who calls the shots at Old Trafford these days. It was he, though, who lauded Ashworth as one of the best operators in the world as recently as February.
“Dan Ashworth is clearly one of the top sporting directors in the world,” Ratcliffe said after United's interest in his services emerged earlier this year.
“I have no doubt he is a very capable person. He is interested in Manchester United because it’s the biggest challenge at the biggest club in the world. It would be different at City because you’re maintaining a level. Here it’s a significant rebuilding job.
“He would be a very good addition.”
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Ashworth was let go by Manchester United after just five months on Sunday
While Ratcliffe's comments add further intrigue to Ashworth's sudden departure, it seems his stock has not been damaged with some of United's Premier League rivals taking note of his availability.
The Sun claim Arsenal and Everton are two such clubs, with the former seeking a successor to Edu, who announced he would be leaving to explore new opportunities last month.
Intriguingly, Ashworth worked with Arsenal's managing director, Richard Garlick, from their time together at West Brom. Garlick was a legal director during Ashworth's time at the Hawthorns before going on to succeed him as sporting director in 2013.
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