Inside ‘very bizarre’ Dan Ashworth exit from Manchester United – he was the perfect fit so something went seriously wrong
Dan Ashworth’s departure from Manchester United suggests ‘there’s a bigger issue at play’ behind the scenes at Old Trafford. That’s the take of talkSPORT’s Sunday Edition co-host Henry Winter, who has labelled the whole break down in the appointment as ‘bizarre’. Ashworth (left) didn’t have long to make his markGETTY The ex-Newcastle chief was brought in as sporting director just five months ago, but has now stepped down. talkSPORT understands the two clubs agreed a £10million compensation package after months of negotiations. Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe appointed Ashworth as part of his takeover of the footballing side of Man United, but is now returning to the drawing board. Discussing the failed appointment on talkSPORT shortly after the news broke, Winter said: “Dan Ashworth came in from Newcastle United via attending his garden and now for this to happen… “I wrote a book a few years back on England and spent some time with him and he’s very meticulous and very hard-working. He knows so much about players all over. “When he was at the Football Association he was tracking the young stars coming through in all the elite and less elite football countries. “He absolutely had his finger on the pulse of emerging players and you’d have thought he’d been absolutely perfect for Manchester United. “Obviously there’s a bigger issue at play here, but it’s just bizarre.” In Ratcliffe’s recent interview with United We Stand, the Man United chief stated they’re paying the price for very poor recruitment. He also said their data analysis doesn’t really exist and is still in the last century. But when asked if Ashworth had time to correct that, Winter said: “It’s good to see and hear owners communicating you know directly to fans because ultimately you know they are the most important people in the club along with players. Some Man United fans feel Ratcliffe has had a questionable start to life as co-ownerAFP “But I just find that absolutely bizarre. He talks about the data analysis, he says it doesn’t really exist. “He calls the recruitment very poor and that is what Dan Ashworth was brought in to address. “So I think it’s very bizarre.” The decision was made over the summer to keep former manager Erik ten Hag after his FA Cup win, despite the club finishing in eighth last season – their worst ever finish in the Premier League. He was sacked at the end of October with the club sitting 14th in the table. And talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook wonders if the decision not to replace Ten Hag this summer was the cause of Ashworth’s downfall. Crook wonders if Ashworth is taking the hit for the decision to keep Ten Hag onAFP He said: “It will be fascinating to see how United explain this because on the face of it, it looks like another very costly mistake by Ineos. “When you think how long they spent trying to get Dan Ashworth out of Newcastle, all the millions of pounds they spent to do that. He’s had one summer transfer window and he’s left the club. “This comes on the back of a summer in which United expensively agreed to stick with Erik ten Hag as manager. “I wonder ultimately, despite the fact that United will probably dress this up as mutual consent, is this Dan Ashworth paying the price for that decision? “I know that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has had a big say on it and it was agreed after that defeat against Forest yesterday.” talkSPORT understands Ashworth felt sidelined from the big decisions, almost from day one with Omar Berrada and Sir Dave Brailsford calling the shots. The tipping point was said to be new manager Ruben Amorim‘s appointment. Ashworth favoured a British coach, for example, former England manager Gareth Southgate, to replace Erik ten Hag. On Ashworth wanting Southgate, Crook added: “I think Graham Potter was another manager that Dan Ashworth was advocating for. And if you go back to the way that Amorim was appointed, it was Omar Berrada who led the charge. “My understanding is that Sir Dave Brailsford was one of the first people to actually speak to Amorim in person. “So if you’re in the position at the football club that Dan Ashworth is and effectively you’re not really a key part of those negotiations, then maybe the writing was on the wall. But it’s a really bad look for Ineos and for Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Ashworth was approached by United in February but was on gardening leave until JulyAFP “It comes off the back of sticking with Ten Hag and paying him more than £11million to go away. It comes as ticket prices at Old Trafford have been controversially put up to £66 even for a junior. “Ratcliffe addressed that yesterday in one of the fanzines and made some clumsy comments in my opinion, tone deaf comments about the fact that it’s not right that tickets at Fulham are more expensive than Manchester United. “So I think when you look at what INEOS has done so far, and I do think
Dan Ashworth’s departure from Manchester United suggests ‘there’s a bigger issue at play’ behind the scenes at Old Trafford.
That’s the take of talkSPORT’s Sunday Edition co-host Henry Winter, who has labelled the whole break down in the appointment as ‘bizarre’.
The ex-Newcastle chief was brought in as sporting director just five months ago, but has now stepped down. talkSPORT understands the two clubs agreed a £10million compensation package after months of negotiations.
Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe appointed Ashworth as part of his takeover of the footballing side of Man United, but is now returning to the drawing board.
Discussing the failed appointment on talkSPORT shortly after the news broke, Winter said: “Dan Ashworth came in from Newcastle United via attending his garden and now for this to happen…
“I wrote a book a few years back on England and spent some time with him and he’s very meticulous and very hard-working. He knows so much about players all over.
“When he was at the Football Association he was tracking the young stars coming through in all the elite and less elite football countries.
“He absolutely had his finger on the pulse of emerging players and you’d have thought he’d been absolutely perfect for Manchester United.
“Obviously there’s a bigger issue at play here, but it’s just bizarre.”
In Ratcliffe’s recent interview with United We Stand, the Man United chief stated they’re paying the price for very poor recruitment.
He also said their data analysis doesn’t really exist and is still in the last century.
But when asked if Ashworth had time to correct that, Winter said: “It’s good to see and hear owners communicating you know directly to fans because ultimately you know they are the most important people in the club along with players.
“But I just find that absolutely bizarre. He talks about the data analysis, he says it doesn’t really exist.
“He calls the recruitment very poor and that is what Dan Ashworth was brought in to address.
“So I think it’s very bizarre.”
The decision was made over the summer to keep former manager Erik ten Hag after his FA Cup win, despite the club finishing in eighth last season – their worst ever finish in the Premier League.
He was sacked at the end of October with the club sitting 14th in the table.
And talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook wonders if the decision not to replace Ten Hag this summer was the cause of Ashworth’s downfall.
He said: “It will be fascinating to see how United explain this because on the face of it, it looks like another very costly mistake by Ineos.
“When you think how long they spent trying to get Dan Ashworth out of Newcastle, all the millions of pounds they spent to do that. He’s had one summer transfer window and he’s left the club.
“This comes on the back of a summer in which United expensively agreed to stick with Erik ten Hag as manager.
“I wonder ultimately, despite the fact that United will probably dress this up as mutual consent, is this Dan Ashworth paying the price for that decision?
“I know that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has had a big say on it and it was agreed after that defeat against Forest yesterday.”
talkSPORT understands Ashworth felt sidelined from the big decisions, almost from day one with Omar Berrada and Sir Dave Brailsford calling the shots.
The tipping point was said to be new manager Ruben Amorim‘s appointment.
Ashworth favoured a British coach, for example, former England manager Gareth Southgate, to replace Erik ten Hag.
On Ashworth wanting Southgate, Crook added: “I think Graham Potter was another manager that Dan Ashworth was advocating for. And if you go back to the way that Amorim was appointed, it was Omar Berrada who led the charge.
“My understanding is that Sir Dave Brailsford was one of the first people to actually speak to Amorim in person.
“So if you’re in the position at the football club that Dan Ashworth is and effectively you’re not really a key part of those negotiations, then maybe the writing was on the wall. But it’s a really bad look for Ineos and for Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
“It comes off the back of sticking with Ten Hag and paying him more than £11million to go away. It comes as ticket prices at Old Trafford have been controversially put up to £66 even for a junior.
“Ratcliffe addressed that yesterday in one of the fanzines and made some clumsy comments in my opinion, tone deaf comments about the fact that it’s not right that tickets at Fulham are more expensive than Manchester United.
“So I think when you look at what INEOS has done so far, and I do think Amorim probably long term will be the right man for the football club, I’m not that impressed and I think a lot of United fans will feel the same.”
talkSPORT also understands there was a clash of personalities between the chiefs.
After going unbeaten in his first three games in charge, Amorim’s side have lost two matches in a row.
The first came in the form of a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the week, before Nottingham Forest beat them 3-2 at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Forest went ahead within two minutes through defender Nikola Milenkovic, before Rasmus Hojlund equalised just over a quarter of an hour later.
But Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood’s quick fire double after half time ensured all three points for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, with Bruno Fernandes’ goal on the hour mark a mere consolation in the end.
Reflecting on the defeat, Amorim told Sky Sports: “It was a tough game, we started the two halves really bad.
“It was hard to pass on some calm to the players and continue the game as we should do. We had not a lot of quality but a lot of heart. Suffering two goals after half time in this context is really hard.
“We need more time to put positioning in. If you see the first goal it was good combination between the players and after the first goal we had good moments, creating chances but then we went forward without thinking.
“It’s a tough context but we have to understand this is a long journey and that’s what our jobs are.”
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