Manchester United‘s faith in Ruben Amorim was the right man to succeed Erik ten Hag was reportedly a big reason behind the departure of former sporting director Dan Ashworth, who favoured other candidates.
Ashworth is thought to have had major reservations over Amorim’s suitability to the big job at Old Trafford, given his dogmatic insistence on the 3-4-3 formation and question marks over how United’s squad could adapt.
After a long period of gardening leave, Ashworth lasted just five months at Manchester United after failing to see eye-to-eye with minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The Athletic reported that Ratcliffe was unimpressed and uninspired by Ashworth’s four-man managerial shortlist, which was based around a strong theme of Premier League experience.
But who were the names on Ashworth’s list? We’ve revisited the names that he was reportedly keen on during his short stint at Old Trafford.
Eddie Howe
The Athletic report noted that “the picture not always being rosy at Newcastle United”, with Howe dealing more directly with minority shareholder and director Amanda Staveley.
Howe actually predated Ashworth at St. James’ Park – the sporting director had no influence in his appointment, at least officially, given he was still at Brighton with negotiations over a compensation package set to run for months.
Still, that experience was key. Howe building a lavishly-funded project that saw Newcastle rise from midtable mediocrity to a club in the Champions League was ultimately the trajectory that Manchester United found themselves looking to emulate.
Who knows whether Howe could’ve been enticed to follow Ashworth in jumping ship to Old Trafford. He appears more loyal and invested, but frustrations with PSR, spending limitations and Staveley’s departure, not to mention a frosty relationship with Ashworth’s successor Paul Mitchell, might’ve seen him tempted.
Having ended Newcastle’s trophy drought and gotten them back into the Champions League last season, Howe’s stock has never been higher. We can’t see him leaving Tyneside any time soon.
Thomas Frank
The Dane’s name on Ashworth’s shortlist was no great surprise.
Given how well he’d done to transform Brentford into an established Premier League club, it was inevitable that clubs towards the top end eye up his signature.
Sure enough, Tottenham came calling after waving goodbye to Ange Postecoglou at the end of last season.
It’s still very early days for Frank in north London, but the early signs are very promising. He’s notched back-to-back league wins before Amorim, despite starting in the post 10 months later.
The one that got away?
Marco Silva
Like Frank, Silva has quietly and consistently proven himself as a more than competent Premier League coach.
A short-lived move to Everton didn’t work out, but his name has often been mentioned for bigger jobs after doing a fine job to consolidate Fulham’s place back in the Premier League.
Despite losing key midfielder Joao Palhinha last summer, the Portuguese coach led the Cottagers to a record Premier League points tally last term.
He’s cut a frustrated figure in press conferences of late, evidently concerned by Fulham’s lack of transfer activity, but we can’t see him going anywhere soon.
Graham Potter
Potter had been out of work for about a hundred days when he put himself in the shop window with an appearance on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football last October.
His stock had taken a hit after his unsuccessful stint in charge of Chelsea, but he was still frequently being linked with top jobs, such as the still-vacant England post, as well as Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag was under severe pressure at the time and was sacked only a few weeks later.
Potter joked that “I am the only coach in world football to be linked with Stoke City and Napoli in the same week” while stating he was “open to anything”, making it clear he’d be keen on England or United.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Potter responded, when asked if he felt that Ashworth – with whom he’d worked closely at Brighton – would be a success at Old Trafford.
“I think Dan’s part of a team there. He’ll want to support, he’ll want to help and that’s my experience with Dan.
“I don’t know anything about the context of Manchester United but my experience of Dan at Brighton was he was very supportive. He would challenge at the right time, but want to help and be there for you.”
Things obviously didn’t quite work out that way. United went for Amorim instead, Ashworth left the club before Christmas, and Potter instead joined West Ham the following January.
Fast forward eight months, and both Potter and Amorim might find themselves ousted. They’re both struggling for results and tipped for the sack.
Gareth Southgate
Call this one your bonus ball.
Southgate’s name wasn’t cited in the above deep dive from The Athletic, but it was widely reported elsewhere – including in the Manchester Evening News – that Ashworth was keen on reuniting, having worked closely with the former England manager during his time at The FA.
It’s said that Ashworth’s enthusiasm for Southgate was not shared by the rest of the senior figures at Old Trafford, with chief executive Omar Berrada overruling him by spearheading the approach for Amorim.
Southgate has been out of work since leaving the England post following last summer’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
It sounds like he’s enjoying his life away from football and doesn’t appear in any rush to return to the dugout.
“I’m enjoying my life,” Southgate told the PA news agency. “I’ve got quite a lot on.
“I’m in the middle of writing a book, I’ve got several business interests. I do some work on leadership, help with some young coaches.
“But I’ve also got time to travel and play a bit of golf, play a bit of paddle tennis, so yeah, I’m very much enjoying that balance.”
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