Dan Ashworth's Manchester United departure was reportedly caused by a fractious relationship with the club's co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The Englishman left his role as the Red Devils' sporting director on Sunday (December 8) after just five months on the job. Fabrizio Romano reports that Ratcliffe was 'not happy at all' with United's summer strategy , which saw the club spend £176 million on new signings – leading to a'tense' relationship between the pair.
Ashworth was appointed in July and was tasked with overseeing recruitment and football operations alongside new technical director Jason Wilcox. Ashworth had to make a major decision about Erik ten Hag's future , as the Dutchman was expected to be sacked by the Red Devils. Ten Hag had overseen the club's worst Premier League campaign, finishing eighth with a record of 18 wins and 14 defeats.
Ashworth kept Ten Hag in charge and handed him a new one-year contract extension after an unlikely FA Cup win over Manchester City . This left INEOS chief Ratcliffe 'furious' , and he'd reportedly been at loggerheads with Ashworth about the situation, per the Daily Mail. Ten Hag lasted just three months into the ongoing season before United pulled the plug amid a disastrous run of form, their worst start to a Premier League season.
Ruben Amorim came in as the Dutchman's successor and was spotted meeting a smiley Ashworth when first arriving at Old Trafford. Yet, significant issues appear to have been brewing off the pitch within th.