Dan Ashworth Parts Ways with Manchester United After Five Months as Sporting Director

Manchester, Dec 8 (NationPress) Dan Ashworth has concluded his tenure as sporting director of Manchester United after a brief period of five months. Ashworth officially joined the club on July 1 following an extended gardening leave from his previous position at Newcastle United.

"Dan Ashworth will be leaving his role as Sporting Director of Manchester United by mutual agreement. 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," read the statement by Manchester United.

Ashworth’s exit was reportedly agreed upon in a meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada at Old Trafford after United’s Premier League match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening.

An earlier report from Daily Mail indicated that Dan Ashworth was a significant factor in the club's decision to extend former head coach Erik Ten Hag’s contract over the summer break. This decision backfired as the Dutch head coach was dismissed just weeks into the season, disrupting the Red Devils’ ongoing campaign and leaving co-owner Jim Ratcliffe infuriated with the Sporting Director.

"Our first major decision of the summer was to extend Erik ten Hag’s contract as men’s first-team manager to June 2026, reflecting our strong belief in him as one of Europe’s top coaches," Ashworth stated at that time.

The departure of the sporting director is also a significant shock given that Manchester United had invested considerable effort to lure Ashworth away from Newcastle United.

Ashworth played a pivotal role in a major spending spree at Old Trafford during the summer, which totaled approximately 200 million Pounds (280 million USD) and saw the arrivals of Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Joshua Zirkzee.