Manchester United's decision to part ways with sporting director Dan Ashworth, just five months after recruiting him from Newcastle, shows how the "Red Devils" are rushing to become more competitive under new manager Ruben Amorim.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Man United's minority owner, is said to be the main decision maker. The British billionaire is no longer impressed with Ashworth and believes the 53-year-old lacks the necessary character and skills.
So, instead of letting the situation get worse, a decisive decision was quickly made by Ratcliffe. Sources say the relationship between Ashworth and Ratcliffe has been " having problems" for weeks, but the decision to part ways is still surprising.
Ashworth has been in charge of the Red Devils' summer 2024 transfer strategy, with £182 million spent on five new players. However, just 6 months later, defender Noussair Mazraoui worth £12.8 million has shown his worthwhile performance.
And although Ashworth was involved in the decision to sack manager Erik ten Hag in October, Amorim's appointment was made by CEO Omar Berrada. Since taking full control of football operations at Old Trafford in February after acquiring a 25% stake, Ratcliffe's INEOS Group has changed the old structure. Senior executives from the old regime have departed, including director of football John Murtough.
Ashworth is expected to be part of a new era as INEOS quickly hired outstanding specialists to fill the void at Man United.
Ashworth was signed from Newcastle after a long compensation battle. The Red Devils finally paid £3 million to bring Ashworth to Old Trafford, alongside Berrada, technical director Jason Wilcox and caretaker recruitment director Christopher Vivell. All became part of the senior leadership team under INEOS.
Ratcliffe criticized Man United's transfer business in an interview with United We Stand magazine last weekend. The billionaire said the club had fallen far behind in data analysis.
"It really doesn't exist here. Man United is still in the last century in data analysis. We are in a very poor group for data analysis," Ratcliffe said.
It is not easy to blame Ashworth, who started working in July, but the contracts he signed are clearly not good enough. Michael Edwards has proven at Liverpool that a person who suits his expertise can make an immediate impact.
Man United's finances are reaching the limit due to a loss of 113.2 million pounds. And the continued struggles on the pitch will only exacerbate the problem if they cannot return to the Champions League.
Smart transfers are always a key factor in success, with many teams mastering data analytics very well. Meanwhile, Man United always have to try to catch up.
