Dan Ashworth: Manchester United sporting director's exit raises questions over INEOS' expensive decision making
Dan Ashworth has left his role as sporting director at Manchester United after five months; INEOS paid between £2-3m in compensation to Newcastle to secure Ashworth; INEOS backed Erik ten Hag in the summer and then sacked him 13 games into the season
Monday 9 December 2024 13:43, UK
Significant questions will be raised over INEOS' leading of football operations at Manchester United following Dan Ashworth's departure from the club after just five months as sporting director.
The latest shock at Old Trafford - following on from the decision to keep Erik ten Hag, heavily back him in the summer window and then sack him 13 games into the season - will be another expensive exercise.
United paid between £2-3m in compensation to Newcastle to secure Ashworth, whom they waited for longer than he was actually in post, and his exit will come at additional cost.
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Amid mass redundancies and the hiking of ticket prices, the sentiment is growing that ordinary people are paying for the mistakes of the hierarchy - first under the Glazers and now due to Sir Jim Ratcliffe's navigation.
Ashworth's appointment was held up as the 'best in class' approach that would underpin United's new structure.
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While sources insist there was no major falling out but rather an agreement that the set-up was not working well, it is another embarrassing look for INEOS.
They will counter that - with Ten Hag and Ashworth - they have been willing to back someone but have shown a decisive edge when it is apparent change is necessary.
Unlike developments around the Dutchman, the Ashworth news came from left field. However, there was a clue that he wasn't as involved as a sporting director should be.
It was CEO Omar Berrada that ran point on the identifying of Ruben Amorim as the club's new head coach, undertook negotiations with Sporting, made the pitch to the Portuguese and welcomed him to the training ground.
Ashworth has been described by some as a lot more passive than the other INEOS hires.
That is balanced by different sources feeling he hasn't had the time to get to grips with the scale of some areas - like the scouting operation - while dealing with a managerial change, the club-wide restructuring and the redevelopment of Carrington.
People close to Ashworth insist he was frozen out of key decision-making calls and his suggestions of collaboration, along with how to enhance United's culture, were ignored.
The opposite view is that he never commanded his role in the way Ratcliffe had wanted, with Berrada, technical director Jason Wilcox and interim director of recruitment Christopher Vivell applying themselves better.
Whatever the case, INEOS have to show these are simply teething issues on account of implementing a new structure, rather than a hugely costly habit of correcting their mistakes.
Ashworth's manic 10 months with Man Utd
February 2024 - Manchester United approach Newcastle for sporting director Dan Ashworth as the Magpies place him on gardening leave. Sir Jim Ratcliffe publicly calls Ashworth "one of the best sporting directors in the world" and calls Newcastle's negotiation over the transfer chief's move "absurd".
May 2024 - It is revealed that Ashworth and new United chief executive Omar Berrada engaged in email conversations about moving to Manchester United while they were still employed by other Premier League clubs. Competition rules state clubs and directors should behave towards each other with the "utmost good faith".
July 2024: Manchester United finally appoint Ashworth on July 1 - five months after their initial approach was revealed. Newcastle wanted to hold out for £20m in compensation but a compromise was met with United.
August 2024: The first summer transfer window with Ashworth's input comes to a close, with United spending over £200m on new players and bringing in over £110m in sales.
September 2024: After Man Utd are beaten 3-0 by Liverpool, Ashworth and Berrada reveal they had no input in the decision to keep Erik ten Hag over the summer. However, Ashworth says he has "really enjoyed working" with the Dutchman.
October 2024: Erik ten Hag is sacked by Manchester United after a 2-1 defeat to West Ham leaves them 14th in the Premier League.
November 2024: Man Utd appoint Ruben Amorim as Ten Hag's successor, with Berrada the key figure involved in the talks with Sporting over the Portuguese manager's move. United spent an extra €1m (£840,000) over his €10m (£8.37m) exit clause to secure Amorim early.
December 2024: Ashworth leaves United after a 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Neville hits out at 'weak' Man Utd after Ashworth statement
Sky Sports' Gary Neville has hit out at Man Utd's "weak" statement announcing Dan Ashworth's departure from Old Trafford, claiming it will only fuel speculation about the reason for his sudden exit only five months after joining the club.
He told NBC: "Something like that can't be mutual. When INEOS came in, everyone knew there were going to be huge changes.
"There have been mass redundancies within the club, a complete overhaul of the executive of the club in terms of the CEO, CFO, sporting director, technical director and manager recently.
"You would've expected large changes but not for this position. Ashworth was headhunted, he was chased for about 10 months.
"He was on gardening leave for four or five months, they paid millions of pounds to get him. I worked with Dan at the FA for two years and he's been very successful everywhere he has been. Brighton, West Brom, the FA and Newcastle most recently.
"I'm most shocked this has happened, it's not a great look at all. It's something that's going to need a lot of explaining.
"The statement the club have put out is really poor. Man Utd haven't had a voice for 10 years. They've lost their authority and their boldness.
"They've been getting it back a little bit in the last 12 months but it's really clear there's a fracture here. You can't bring someone in like Dan Ashworth, lose him after five months and think something hasn't gone wrong.
"Fans are going to be asking what's gone wrong. They're going to speculate, there's going to be huge voids.
"You're better off punching us in the face with the truth sometimes when it's so obvious something has gone wrong, between the personalities of Dan Ashworth and Omar Barrada, Dave Brailsford, whoever it is who hasn't got on with each other.
"Just tell us because it's obvious something has happened. That statement is weak."
