Dan Ashworth ‘said NO’ to signing £77m Manchester United duo before Old Trafford exit

Former sporting director Dan Ashworth said no to signing a £77 million Manchester United duo before his Old Trafford exit.

Dan Ashworth, brought in as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s revamp of Manchester United’s upper management, joined the club from Newcastle United over the summer.

His appointment came after lengthy negotiations, during which he spent six months on gardening leave. United ultimately paid around £3 million in compensation to secure his early release from the Magpies.

Despite the significant effort to secure his services, Ashworth’s time at Old Trafford has come to an abrupt end.

Manchester United confirmed his departure on Sunday morning. “Dan Ashworth will be leaving his role as Sporting Director of Manchester United by mutual agreement,” the statement read.

“We would like to thank Dan for his work and support during a transitional period for the club and wish him well for the future.”

Reports suggest the decision was initiated by the club, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe playing a key role in Ashworth’s exit.

Ashworth said ‘no’ to two Man Utd signings

New information from UnitedSc0ut has claimed that Ashworth felt like a “passenger” during his tenure at Old Trafford.

There was clear ‘tension’ in multiple meetings, including when the hierarchy were discussing Erik ten Hag’s future at the end of October.

Ashworth wanted a British coach to replace the Dutchman, with Gareth Southgate and Eddie Howe as he favoured choices.

Instead, the Reds ended up appointing Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim. Omar Berrada reportedly led that process.

The aforementioned report also explained that Ashworth initially said ‘no’ to the signings of Joshua Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt in the summer transfer window.

De Ligt signed from Bayern Munich for around £42 million and has since been a solid performer in the backline for the Reds.

Meanwhile, Zirkzee came in for around £35 million from Bologna and hasn’t yet been able to show his abilities that earned him a place in the Serie A Team of the Season for last term.

Instead, Ashworth wanted to push to sign Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton, who United made several bids for in the summer.

It was ultimately decided that the Reds didn’t want to bow down to the £70 million price tag that The Toffees placed on the English centre-back.

Instead, the two Dutch signings came in for around £77 million together. It seems clear that there was a disconnect within the hierarchy.

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