Why Manchester United Sacked Dan Ashworth

The reason why Manchester United sacked Sporting Director Dan Ashworth just five months into his tenure at the club has been revealed. It was announced on Wednesday during the club’s latest financial quarterly results that a combined £14.5 million was spent on staff compensation – that being the dismissals of Erik ten Hag and Ashworth – the latter of whom cost United £4.1 million, having only joined in July.

Ashworth was seen as a pivotal part of the football operations team at Old Trafford after the Red Devils were forced to engage in long-winded negotiations to prize him away from Newcastle. Therefore, it was a shock when his sudden departure was announced in December. However, it has now been revealed exactly how the costly mistake came to be.

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Ashworth Too ‘UK Focussed’ According to Report

It is claimed United failed to do sufficient due diligence on the Englishman

According to a report from the Daily Mail, it is claimed that Ashworth was initially brought to the club as he was viewed as one of the best sporting directors in the world, and that INEOS chairman, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, was keen to introduce people with British expertise. While the 53-year-old certainly fitted the bill given his time working for the FA and his track record at both Brighton and Newcastle, his approach was seen as too UK-focussed.

It is alleged by an insider at the club that Ashworth’s lack of expert knowledge outside of the British Isles was a disappointment and not what his employers had initially hoped for. It was also suggested that Ashworth’s lists of potential replacements for Erik ten Hag were too conservative and not in keeping with the vision of the club moving forward. It was rumoured at the time that one of these names was former England manager Gareth Southgate.

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It was also implied that the former Newcastle man was short on solutions and heavy on negatives during a ‘state of the club’ presentation he delivered to staff, which underwhelmed some involved.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt – accurate as of 21/02/2025.