Inside Dan Ashworth's 'very strange' exit from Manchester United: He was a perfect fit, so something went very wrong
Dan Ashworth's departure from Manchester United suggests “there is a bigger issue at play” behind the scenes at Old Trafford.
That's the view of talkSPORT's Sunday edition co-host Henry Winter, who branded the whole dating breakdown “bizarre”.
The former Newcastle boss was hired as sporting director just five months ago, but now low. talkSPORT understands the two clubs have agreed a £10m compensation package after months of negotiations.
head of ineos Sir Jim Ratcliffe appointed Ashworth as part of his takeover of the Man United football team but is now going back to the drawing board.
Discussing the failed appointment on talkSPORT shortly after the news broke, Winter said: “Dan Ashworth arrived from Newcastle United attending his garden and now for this to happen…
“I wrote a book a few years ago about England and I spent some time with him and he is very meticulous and a hard worker. He knows a lot about players from all over the world.
“When I was in the Football Association, I was following the young stars emerging in all the elite and less elite football countries.
“He absolutely had his finger on the pulse of the emerging players and you would have thought he would have been absolutely perfect for manchester united.
“There's obviously a bigger issue at play here, but it's just strange.”
In Ratcliffe's recent report interview with United We AreThe Man United boss claimed they are paying the price for a very poor signing.
He also said that his 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 the owners communicating directly with the fans because ultimately you know they are the most important people at the club along with the players.
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“But that seems absolutely strange to me. He talks about data analysis and says it doesn't really exist.
“He says recruiting was very poor and that's what Dan Ashworth had to address.
“So I think it's very strange.”
The decision was made over the summer to retain former manager Erik ten Hag after their FA Cup victory, despite the club finishing eighth last season, their worst finish in the Premier League.
He was sacked at the end of October when the club was 14th in the table.
And talkSPORT chief football correspondent Alex Crook wonders if the decision not to replace Ten Hag this summer was the cause of Ashworth's downfall.
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He said: “It will be fascinating to see how United explain this because, at first glance, it looks like another very costly mistake by Ineos.
“When you think about how much time they spent trying to get Dan Ashworth out of Newcastle, all the millions of pounds they spent to do it. “He had a summer transfer window and left the club.
“This comes after a summer in which United expensively agreed to keep Erik ten Hag as manager.
“Ultimately, I wonder, even though United will probably disguise this as mutual consent, is this Dan Ashworth paying the price for that decision?
“I know Sir Jim Ratcliffe has had a lot to say about it and he agreed after the defeat against Forest yesterday.”
talkSPORT understands Ashworth felt left out of big decisions, almost from day one with Omar Berrada and Sir Dave Brailsford calling the shots.
It was said that the turning point was the new manager. Ruben AmorimThe quote.
Ashworth favored 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 Dan Ashworth was advocating for. And if we go back to the way Amorim was named, it was Omar Berrada who led the charge.
“I understand that Sir Dave Brailsford was one of the first people to speak to Amorim in person.
“So if you are in the position at the football club that Dan Ashworth is in and you are effectively not a key part of those negotiations, then maybe the writing was on the wall. But it is a very bad image for Ineos and for Mr. Jim Ratcliffe.
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“This is because he kept Ten Hag and paid him more than £11m to leave. It comes as ticket prices at Old Trafford have been controversially raised to £66 even for a junior.
“Ratcliffe addressed this 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 Fulham tickets are more expensive than Manchester United.
“So I think when you look at what INEOS have done so far, and I think Amorim probably in the 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 way. “
talkSPORT also understands there was a clash of personalities between the bosses.
After going undefeated in his first three games in charge, Amorim's team has lost two games in a row.
The first came in the form of a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal this week, before Nottingham Forest beat them 3-2 at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Forest took the lead after two minutes thanks to defender Nikola Milenkovic, before Rasmus Hojlund equalized just over a quarter of an hour later.
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But Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood's quickfire double after the break secured 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 said sky sports: “It was a tough game, we started both halves very badly.
“It was difficult to convey some calm to the players and continue the game as we should. We didn't have much quality but we did have a lot of heart. Conceding two goals after the break in this context is really hard.
“We need more time to position ourselves. If you see the first goal, it was a good combination between the players and after the first goal we had good moments, creating opportunities, but then we advanced without thinking.
“It is a difficult context, but we have to understand that it is a long journey and that this is our job.”
