Former Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth warned Sir Jim Ratcliffe against the ‘jarring’ appointment of Ruben Amorim, with two alternatives preferred.
Ratcliffe described Ashworth as “a 10/10 sporting director” but he lasted just five months at the club after being poached from Newcastle for £3m, with his dismissal costing the club £4.1m.
Ashworth had very little time working with Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag as the permanent boss in mid-November, with the director dismissed less than a month later.
Reports at the time claimed ‘personality clashes’ and a difference of opinion over the direction of the club led to his swift exit, and Sky Sports now claim Ashworth was not on board with Amorim’s appointment.
The Portuguese boss wanted to remain at Sporting for the rest of the season before joining United in the summer, which would grant him a full pre-season to impart his philosophy on the team.
But United CEO Omar Berrada insisted it was now or never for Amorim, who made the switch to Old Trafford.
Ashworth ‘warned the club about mass disruption’ that he believed would arrive with Amorim and his very specific ideas, and instead ‘wanted a data-driven approach to replacing Ten Hag’.
The report states:
‘United’s squad had already needed to adjust to a new backroom team behind Ten Hag this season, and Ashworth thought it best to minimise upheaval, especially given the club’s precarious financial position.
‘Liverpool’s choice of the understated Arne Slot to replace Jurgen Klopp – a stylistic fit allowing for on-pitch continuity through all the age groups as well as recruitment – was used as an example.
‘The league leaders liked Amorim and his aura, he had made their shortlist, but his commitment to three at the back and his general philosophy had jarred with the squad and the direction the club had taken.
‘Slot was less hyped yet more of a sure thing. Liverpool ignored the noise and made what they believed was the best football decision.’
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Ashworth wanted Brentford boss Thomas Frank to take charge, but would also have preferred Ruud van Nistelrooy to remain on as interim coach for the rest of the season, but Ratcliffe ‘wanted United to be chest out and bold’ and was ‘desperate for charisma’.
The report adds:
‘At United, Thomas Frank was appreciated by Ashworth and others due to his tactical flexibility, personality, and communication skills.
‘There was wide support for Ruud van Nistelrooy, who had carried himself with distinction and the players responded very well to, to take interim control until the end of the season – with a permanent choice named.
‘That would have given United the time and space to plan for the future, with the dressing room – a squad heavily shaped for Ten Hag – able to continue processes and improve in theory. Naming the new man in the dugout would have also prevented sentimental calls for Van Nistelrooy to be given the job.
‘Ratcliffe, Berrada and other senior executives wanted United to be chest out and bold. They did not want to wait for progress nor get usurped to their prime target – especially with several clubs having him on their succession planning list.
‘There was a desperation for charisma, and the strong belief was that Amorim could be a tactician to define the next generation.’
