The five managers Dan Ashworth wanted to hire at Man United, his list disappointed Sir Jim Ratcliffe

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been ruthless with his decision-making at Manchester United since becoming co-owner.

The British billionaire is not afraid to upset anyone on his journey to bringing Manchester United back to the top.

The latest of Ratcliffe’s controversial decisions at United is his call to part ways with sporting director Dan Ashworth just five months after he joined the club.

It was reported that Ratcliffe was “pivotal” in Ashworth’s exit, with United’s new-look structure not quite running as smoothly as Ratcliffe hoped it would.

United confirmed Ashworth’s exit with a blunt statement on Sunday morning. Club legend Gary Neville slammed the Ashworth statement, describing it as “very poor”. While there was not much to say about Ashworth’s short time at the club, it did hint that the mood behind the scenes wasn’t as rosy as it seemed.

What went wrong for Dan Ashworth at Man United

Back in February, United fans were delighted about Ashworth’s appointment, with supporters confident that he would put an end to the club’s wasteful transfer spending.

So it came as a big shock when Ashworth was let go by Ratcliffe and Co. just as it seemed United had a proper structure in place.

It has been reported that Ratcliffe was angered by United’s summer strategy, which was led by Ashworth.

Also, Ashworth wanted to outsource to a data company – a suggestion that Ratcliffe reacted poorly to. United’s co-owner wanted decisiveness and leadership at the top, and he didn’t feel as though Ashworth fit the bill.

Dan Ashworth recommended four managers for Man United

Ashworth was key to the decision to keep Erik ten Hag over the summer – a decision that ended up backfiring badly when he was sacked by the end of October.

United moved quickly to hire Ruben Amorim, but it has been claimed that Ashworth was not convinced by Amorim’s tactics. CEO Omar Berrada was instead the driving force behind hiring the Portuguese head coach.

• Eddie Howe
• Marco Silva
• Thomas Frank
• Gareth Southgate
• Graham Potter

Instead, Ashworth had a shortlist of four managerial candidates – all of whom had plenty of Premier League experience.

READ MORE: One key silver lining to Dan Ashworth sudden exit at Manchester United, it’s one that matters most to Sir Jim Ratcliffe

According to The Athletic, Ashworth put forward a list that included Eddie Howe, Marco Silva, Thomas Frank and Graham Potter – who was suggested as an interim until the end of the season.

The report adds that Ratcliffe “wanted more decisiveness and a dynamic appointment” which ultimately led to following Berrada’s suggestion of Amorim.

The Mail reported Ashworth favoured a move to appoint former England boss Gareth Southgate.