Dan Ashworth: Man Utd sporting director leaves after just five months
The news embarrassed Manchester United.
As recently as February this year, Ratcliffe expressed his frustration at being forced to wait to bring Ashworth to Old Trafford as Newcastle insisted on compensation.
In the end, United paid £3 million for Ashworth, who ended up enjoying gardening leave for the same period as his actual tenure at United.
The specific reasons for Ashworth’s exit have not yet been explained.
Club sources said the decision was a difficult one but one that had been taken together after a transition period as the new ownership continues to work towards the best structure for the club.
Ratcliffe’s critics will point to the cost of that decision – and the subsequent hiring of Amorim as head coach after head coach Ten Hague was fired just months after being awarded a contract extension – as evidence of flawed thinking.
The appointments of Amorim and Ashworth and the sacking of Ten Hag cost the club a total of almost £25m.
On Saturday, Ratcliffe had to justify raising ticket prices to £66 without making any concessions as he needed to raise as much money as possible for the first-team squad.
