Manchester United legend Gary Neville has worked closely with Ineos and Dan Ashworth in the past on the new stadium project and in the FA
Manchester United legend Gary Neville
Manchester United legend Gary Neville(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes Dan Ashworth would have been right to push for a Gareth Southgate or Graham Potter candidate to takeover from Erik ten Hag despite it potentially costing him his job.
Neville and Ashworth know each other having worked together in the England set-up when the former was assistant manager to Roy Hodgson. The ex-United captain would have then crossed paths with Ashworth and the remainder of the Ineos board last year when he joined the consultation team for the Old Trafford replacement project.
However, that reunion was cut short in December when Ashworth and United mutually parted ways. While the decision was reported as being the result of a number of issues that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his then-sporting director did not agree on, it was believed that Ashworth's push for a 'safe managerial option' like Southgate or Potter to replace Ten Hag ultimately cost him.
It was noted by The Athletic that Ashworth had released a statement on the five summer transfers and on Ten Hag when he signed his contract extension but was not mentioned when Ruben Amorim was appointed. It was believed that Omar Berrada was the driving force behind the Portuguese's appointment.
This week, Ashworth returned to the FA as the national team's Chief Football Officer (CFO) and when reflecting on the ex-United official, Neville told The Overlap Fan Debate that he may eventually be proven right. "Knowing him as I do and how reliable Dan Ashworth is and trustworthy, he went with a plan that looked pretty unspectacular at the time," he explained.
"He gave them two or three managers that didn’t get their juices flowing and said: ‘I think these are the people that need to be the first step on the rebuild of this football club.' Them type of people (Southgate and Eddie Howe), Graham Potter.
Dan Ashworth pictured at Old Trafford
Dan Ashworth pictured at Old Trafford
"These people will correct the culture in the club, you will get the dressing room solid, good characters and a good work ethic. It is the bridge that is needed to get to where we need to get to.
"You are not going to get from where we are to basically there. Looking back now, maybe he was right and the club needed a period of two or three years of finishing fourth, getting a good culture and getting the staff happy.
"Maybe he was right that there needs to be a stepping stone before we get back to challenging." Ratcliffe has since spoken glowingly about Amorim and has expressed his delight that the former Sporting man is willing to challenge him when they meet.
After the West Ham defeat, Amorim said that he should resign if he is unable to change the culture at the club. However, he clarified in a press conference on Wednesday that he is far from stepping down as manager of United.
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