Manchester United's decision to part ways with sporting director Dan Ashworth, just five months after signing 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, rather than let the situation get worse, a decisive decision was quickly made by Ratcliffe. Sources said the relationship between Ashworth and Ratcliffe had been "troubled" for weeks, but the decision to split still surprised many.
Ashworth was in charge of the Red Devils' summer 2024 transfer strategy, with £182m spent on five new players. However, six months on, only £12.8m defender Noussair Mazraoui has shown any merit.
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 buying a 25% stake, Ratcliffe’s INEOS Group has changed its structure. Senior executives from the previous regime have departed, including director of football John Murtough.
Ashworth is expected to be part of a new era as INEOS moves quickly to hire high-performing professionals to fill the void at Man United.
Ashworth was signed from Newcastle after a lengthy compensation battle. The Red Devils eventually paid £3m to bring him to Old Trafford, alongside Berrada, technical director Jason Wilcox and interim recruitment director Christopher Vivell, all of whom became part of the senior leadership team under INEOS.
Ratcliffe criticised United's transfer business in an interview with United We Stand magazine last weekend, saying the club were "far behind" in data analysis.
"It really doesn't exist here. Man United are still in the last century in terms of data analytics. We are in a very poor group in terms of data analytics," Ratcliffe said.
Ashworth, who only started in July, cannot be blamed, but his signings have clearly not been good enough. Michael Edwards has shown at Liverpool that the right man can make an immediate impact.
Manchester United's finances are stretched to breaking point with a £113.2m loss, and continued struggles on the pitch will only exacerbate the problem if they fail to return to the Champions League.
Smart transfers have always been a key factor in success, with many teams mastering data analytics. Meanwhile, Man United are always trying to catch up.
