United Beyond Manchester

Dan Ashworth was supposed to be the centerpiece of a star-studded Manchester United leadership team. Yet, after just five months at the club, the 53-year-old has been shown the door by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, showcasing the minority owner’s ruthlessness and also his foolishness.

Ratcliffe pursued Ashworth for five months over the summer before finally paying around £3 million to have him start on July 1st. In February, the billionaire said that Ashworth was “A 10 out of 10 – a very good fit for Manchester United.” Now, ten months after that statement, that “10 out of 10” is gone, and the club is struggling both on and off the pitch.

While the club stated that Ashworth’s departure was by ‘mutual consent,’ it is clear that statement was not the full story. Sir Jim Ratcliffe was reportedly enraged by several of Ashworth’s decisions, including the one that saw Erik Ten Hag get a new contract over the summer.

The removal of Dan Ashworth is another clear indicator that Ratcliffe will be ruthless in his attempt to rebuild Manchester United. The new owner has already irritated fans by increasing ticket prices and angered United employees by making a number of jobs redundant. Perhaps the boldest move was removing Sir Alex Ferguson, the club’s most important figure, as an ambassador to save a few bucks. While the ruthless streak continues with the Ashworth departure, it also shows that Ratcliffe may have absolutely no idea what he is doing.

When an owner passionately supports a hire and pays significant money to get them, you expect results. Instead, United wasted time, money, and energy over the past five months with a man who seemingly made all the wrong decisions as sporting director. Ashworth extended a deal for a struggling manager, paid over £200 million for players who haven’t made much of a difference (except Mazraoui), and caused issues within the ‘superstar’ front office.

The most difficult thing to understand is where United is supposed to go from here. Ruben Amorim has been brought in to change results on the pitch, but the behind-the-scenes problems caused by Sir Jim Ratcliffe are zero help to a struggling team.

Supporters have long hated the Glazers, but if difficulties persist with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, cries may come even louder for the 72-year-old to get out of the club.