Dan Ashworth is closing in on his next role four months after being sacked as Manchester United sporting director.
When the appointment was confirmed, Manchester United fans were excited by Dan Ashworth joining the club as sporting director.
It is a role that was unforgivably overlooked by the Glazers, and Dan Ashworth brought a reputation as one of the best directors in the country.
Ineos pushed hard for Ashworth and ended up paying a seven-figure compensation package to poach him from Premier League rivals Newcastle United.
However, Ashworth lasted five months at United before Sir Jim Ratcliffe pulled the trigger and let him go. Looking back on the decision, Ratcliffe said hiring Ashworth was a “mistake”.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Dan Ashworth set for new role with Cristiano Ronaldo
Since leaving Old Trafford, Ashworth has been linked with a variety of different jobs.
Ashworth linked up with Warwickshire County Cricket Club and there were reports that Ashworth was considered by Arsenal for a sporting director role.
However, fresh reports claim he could make the move to Saudi Arabia to team up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.
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Journalist Gianluigi Longari claims Ashworth is in talks to take a sporting director role at Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo made the move to Saudi in 2023 following his bombshell exit from United. Now, another former United man who fell out with the club could join him.
What went wrong for Dan Ashworth at Man United?
It seemed a perfect match when Ashworth joined United – an ambitious director given the freedom to try and wake a sleeping giant. But it didn’t work out that way at all.
After Ashworth’s sacking, there were reports that Ashworth was “irritating” Ratcliffe with the decisions he made around the club.
Ashworth refused to cut jobs at United despite Ratcliffe’s instruction to do so. Ineos plan to cut an extra 200 jobs at the club having already removed 250 staff from their positions.
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Speaking to Gary Neville, Ratcliffe said this about Ashworth’s exit: “At the end of the day it was down to chemistry. Maybe a bit more than chemistry, but it didn’t work.”
Ultimately, Ashworth’s sacking cost United over £4m, so hiring him proved to be a costly mistake. Ineos are yet to replace him as sporting director, although Jason Wilcox has been handed extra responsibility.