Dan Ashworth: 53-year-old leaves Man Utd sporting director role just five months after arriving from Newcastle

Dan Ashworth will step down from his position as sporting director at Manchester United after only five months.

Ashworth officially began his position on July 1 after an extended gardening leave from Newcastle, but he is now leaving following the team's 3-2 loss at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Ashworth oversaw the football team's performance and player recruitment, working under the new CEO, Omar Berrada, who previously held a position at Manchester City.

The 53-year-old departs from Manchester United after managing a summer expenditure of £200 million on players including Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui.

While Ashworth was in his role, Erik ten Hag was dismissed as the manager of Manchester United in October and was succeeded by Ruben Amorim. At that time, it was noted that Ashworth and Berrada were at the forefront of the discussions to bring in the Portuguese coach.

Before joining Newcastle, Ashworth achieved success with Brighton and the FA, and was viewed as a significant choice by minority stakeholders INEOS. Sir Jim Ratcliffe praised him as "one of the best sporting directors globally."

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Manchester United issued a statement announcing that Dan Ashworth has decided to step down from his position as sporting director, with both parties in agreement.

We want to express our gratitude to Dan for his contributions and assistance during a time of change for the club. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Ashworth's Wild 10 Months At Man Utd

In February 2024, Manchester United reaches out to Newcastle regarding their sporting director, Dan Ashworth, who is currently on gardening leave. Sir Jim Ratcliffe publicly praises Ashworth, stating he is "one of the top sporting directors globally," and describes Newcastle's negotiations for Ashworth's transfer as "ridiculous."

In May 2024, it came to light that Ashworth and the newly appointed CEO of Manchester United, Omar Berrada, had exchanged emails regarding potential moves to the club while they were still working for other teams in the Premier League. According to competition regulations, clubs and their directors are expected to act with complete honesty and integrity towards one another.

In July 2024, Manchester United officially hired Ashworth on July 1, five months after the news of their initial interest came to light. Newcastle was initially seeking £20 million in compensation, but an agreement was eventually reached with United.

August 2024 marks the end of the first summer transfer period with Ashworth's involvement. During this time, United invested more than £200 million in new talent while generating over £110 million from player sales.

In September 2024, following Manchester United's 3-0 loss to Liverpool, Ashworth and Berrada stated that they were not involved in the choice to retain Erik ten Hag during the summer. Nonetheless, Ashworth expressed that he has "really enjoyed collaborating" with the Dutch coach.

In October 2024, Erik ten Hag is dismissed from his position as manager of Manchester United following a 2-1 loss to West Ham, which places the team in 14th position in the Premier League standings.

In November 2024, Manchester United named Ruben Amorim as the replacement for Ten Hag. The negotiations with Sporting to bring in the Portuguese coach were led by Ashworth and Berrada. To finalize Amorim's transfer ahead of schedule, United paid an additional €1 million (£840,000) on top of his €10 million (£8.37 million) release clause.

In December 2024, Ashworth departs from United following a 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.