Manchester United are in no rush to bring in a high-profile replacement for Dan Ashworth and believe they have capable executives who can take on his responsibilities in the short-term and even potentially permanently.
The big challenge Ashworth faced at Old Trafford was the fact that CEO Omar Berrada came in this past summer, only began to influence the club after his gardening leave and he’s quickly become a highly influential figure at United.
Technical director Jason Wilcox, meanwhile, started his role before Ashworth and he had already taken of the responsibilities of sporting director out of necessity.
Berrada and Wilcox have a very strong relationship, so Ashworth inherited a lot and had to quickly forge relationships with senior club members.
Everyone at United speaks highly of Ashworth’s integrity, but he didn’t prove to be the right fit within that structure and their recruitment model.
The key to success for a future sporting director or any executive working in recruitment will be having a productive relationship with Berrada. Both Wilcox and interim director of recruitment Christopher Vivell have that already.
It’s somewhat true, as previously reported, that Ashworth’s pick to replace Erik ten Hag as manager wouldn’t have been Ruben Amorim, although he didn’t have ‘no say’ in his appointment, as has been claimed.
He was asked to make recommendations for the next manager and opted for those with Premier League experience. The likes of Gareth Southgate, Graham Potter, Thomas Frank and Eddie Howe were on his list – an example of the different viewpoints from senior figures behind the scenes at Old Trafford.
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Summer window led to doubts about Ashworth
Berrada, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and director of sport Dave Brailsford were all heavily involved in recruitment this past summer, and they ultimately felt Ashworth was not the right strategic fit for the club.
There proved to be ‘more cooks’ at Man Utd than Ashworth’s previous clubs Brighton and Newcastle. The expectation was that Ashworth would have a clearer vision for what he wanted in the market for the present and future, and that didn’t materialise. Those close to Ashworth argue it was a harder job to have recruitment clarity on from day one due to Manchester United’s brand new recruitment team and the lack of data at the club compared to both Brighton and Newcastle.
As the summer went on, the feeling from all sides was that Ashworth was finding it difficult, and the ownership doubted whether he was the right fit.
We understand that towards the end of the window, there was more of an ownness put on Ashworth for outgoings rather than incomings, some of which happened but not at the level Man Utd were looking for.
The £42million signing of Manuel Ugarte, for example, was almost solely closed by United director Jean-Claude Blanc, because of his relationship with Paris Saint-Germain’s chiefs, in particular Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
And now, TEAMtalk can confirm that Man Utd are working on completing the signing of 17-year-old Paraguayan defender Diego Leon.
That deal is being negotiated and driven almost entirely by Wilcox. We understand a deal in the region of $4million (£3.1m / €3.8m), plus add-ons, is at a relatively advanced stage, although reports of a ‘done deal’ are premature as of Tuesday evening.
Leon’s agents and the player are optimistic everything will be agreed soon – an example of how all directors have influence on Man Utd’s transfers.
Man Utd looking in-house for Ashworth replacements
Man Utd are still in the process of deciding the plan of how to move forward now Ashworth has been relieved of his duties. It may be a case of seeing how the January window goes will determine their course.
Employing a new big-name sporting director now would have to be done at super-speed and it’s unlikely they’d be able to make the ideal appointment mid-season.
The plan is to assess what they’ve already got internally and could be creative and restructure from within. Short-term, it’s a case of Berrada and Wilcox taking on more responsibilities, while Vivell will also take a leading role in January.
Vivell is only on a short-term contract but has impressed at Old Trafford and the feeling is he’ll be rewarded with a longer-term deal and an enhanced role.
It still remains to be seen whether Man Utd will look to make a high-profile appointment at some point down the line and what kind of title they would receive.
TEAMtalk understands that links with Paris Saint-Germain advisor Luis Campos are wide of the mark, nor is the reported interest from Arsenal.
Campos is technically freelance at PSG and works for multiple clubs. However, the terms of his PSG contract would prevent him with doing any work with Man Utd or Arsenal, unless he were to leave the French giants.
Campos’ contract with PSG expires at the end of this season and they are currently in active talks to renew his deal. Sources say the priority for the Portuguese is talking to PSG, rather looking for a new job. It is also likely clubs of United and Arsenal’s stature would expect exclusivity, and any senior recruitment member to become staff.
We can also confirm that Newcastle sporting director Paul Mitchell is not currently on Man Utd’s radar. He was previously of interest to the Red Devils but there was never a formal offer made. Mitchell is fully focused on Newcastle and he’s not looking to move.
Another name linked with becoming the new Man Utd sporting director is Andrea Berta, who’s enjoyed a successful stint with Atletico Madrid since 2017.
Berta will be in demand come the end of the season and the expectation is that he will leave Atletico. We understand that he would only consider a role as sporting director or as the head of recruitment at a multi-club group.
However, Man Utd have NOT made contact with Berta’s entourage to date. Their priority is to first assess their options internally. They believe that Wilcox and Vivell are more than capable of taking on Ashworth’s responsibilities in the short-term and are in no rush to make a new appointment.
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