A normal day at Manchester United is a myth, and never before has that statement ever been stronger as Sunday, December 8, when Dan Ashworth’s departure news arrived.
Having arrived as the sporting director just five months ago, Dan Ashworth has left Manchester United, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly playing a pivotal part in the departure.
It’s by mutual consent and with that, Dan Ashworth was at United for lesser time than the negotiations took to bring him to Old Trafford.
Ineos haven’t had a good few days in terms of public perception and this just is the cherry on top of a cake that looks like it’s going rotten quickly.
As Ashworth, one of the most highly-rated sporting directors in the country, leaves after just five months, here’s what he did at United and breaking down if it hints at what went wrong.
What did Dan Ashworth do at Man Utd?
When Ashworth arrived, he was looked at as the final piece of the puzzle, arriving to engineer a cultural shift at the club from top to bottom.
It is not for any hire that two Premier League clubs engage in a back-and-forth that stretches for nearly half a year.
Ashworth’s job remit included creating the right structure and environment for the coaching staff to maximise their impact, while also driving the growth of the Women’s team and the academy.
All three of those are long-term objectives but in the immediate future, he was tasked with taking a big call on Erik ten Hag’s future which, of course, didn’t turn out so well.
The then-Man Utd manager was handed an extension which backfired spectacularly just a few months into the season and United were back to square one.
Ashworth was also quoted in the press releases for every new signing as well as Ten Hag’ contract extension so he was clearly the voice of the executive structure.
Omar Berrada’s responsibilities as the CEO were more broad so Ashworth was effectively the leader of the footballing department at Old Trafford.
What next for Man Utd?
The departure has been presented as mutual but questions are bound to be asked if the leader of the footballing department leaves after just five months.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been famously impatient and straight-talking in his interviews while assessing the state of affairs at United but Ashworth was his own man.
Not just any “own man”, but effectively the anchor to which Ineos attached their sails right away as he was the first person they targeted in the footballing department.
Negotiating hard with Newcastle for over seven months only for the man to leave in about five is arguably worse for optics than most things Glazers did, or didn’t do when they were in charge.
Furthermore, the fact that news of this importance was leaked before the club could report it and control the narrative lays bare the claim that Ineos are running a tight ship now.
No news on any potential replacements or the way forward has been decided but considering how important the sporting director role has been championed by this ownership, it would be a surprise if nobody stepped in.
The question is, how long will the new hire be in the seat? Nobody is sure anymore.
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