Sir Jim Ratcliffe during Aston Villa vs Manchester United
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Chris Sutton has laid into Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe after Dan Ashworth was ousted as sporting director.
Ashworth lasted just five months in the role after United forked out around £3million in compensation to bring him in from Newcastle, with the decision being made after he fell out with chief executive Omar Berrada.
And Sutton has questioned Ratcliffe's decision-making since he took charge of football operations, highlighting his "surprise" at Ashworth's sudden departure and the recent decision to raise ticket prices.
"It may never come out, but there needs to be a bit more clarity," Sutton told spaceportsweden.com. "It seems to me; they weren't all thinking on the same page. That was a real surprise. I think this has caught everybody on the hop.
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"We thought Manchester United had made the appointment of Amorim and they were taking the next step. But Sir Jim Ratcliffe, I think he called the club mediocre, didn't he? Things like putting up the ticket price, it's a big thing.
"The ticket price hike for youngsters from £25 to £66. Stuff like that, it's not going to make him overly popular. I think with regards to Manchester United, there needs to be, with a new manager, there needs to be patience, but it's a worry because Dan Ashworth came with such a big reputation of being an expert in his particular field.
"Why has it come to a head so quickly? Clearly there'll be a fallout from somewhere and they're not thinking on the same page. But until we get clarity, if we ever get clarity, people will speculate like we're doing now. In the short term, they made a massive play for him.
Dan Ashworth
Dan Ashworth left United after just five months as sporting director
"This was going to take them to the next level. So that's certainly been a big surprise over the weekend. Change takes time, doesn't it? Jim Ratcliffe's like any owner, he's judged on his actions and the fact that they made such a big play for Dan Ashworth and the whole gardening leave situation.
"Then all of a sudden, he's in for five months, less than five months. That's a huge surprise. There's a lot of people in the hierarchy, isn't there? A lot of decision-makers and it clearly looks like they're not joined-up in their thinking. They're not all on the same page, hence why he's gone. That's the way it looks from the outside, looking at it anyway."
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