Former Man Utd assistant manager Rene Meulensteen insists Red Devils co-owners INEOS have “done nothing else than just upset a lot of people”.
It was revealed last month that the Red Devils had made the decision to end ‘a multi-million pound annual commitment’ to Sir Alex Ferguson in their latest cost-cutting measure.
The Scot won 38 trophies at Man Utd during a managerial reign spanning nearly 27 years, including 13 Premier League titles and two European Cups.
INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are working to put the club on a more sustainable financial footing and have instigated a number of cost-saving measures, including a redundancy programme which cut 250 jobs from headcount across all departments by the end of August.
After chasing Dan Ashworth over the summer in an expensive operation, Man Utd announced on Sunday that the former Newcastle sporting director has now left the club.
Ratcliffe is not just struggling to convince people of his ability in off-field matters but also decisions, such as keeping Erik ten Hag on in the summer, which have seen Man Utd drop to 13th in the Premier League on the pitch.
On the exit of Ashworth, Meulensteen told Lucky Block: “The Dan Ashworth news was a big surprise for me. It just doesn’t make any sense. You look at Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s tenure at the club so far – obviously he started with all those mass redundancies and everything, which is fine if you get your communication about your vision for the club spot on so people can understand these decisions.
“It’s like when they got rid of Sir Alex Ferguson as an ambassador – there may have been absolutely nothing in that, but because the communication is so poor, people start to guess about things going on behind the scenes.
“My instinct with Ashworth leaving is that there was a bit of a power struggle. It shows that there are a lot of unclear things going on behind the scenes. You don’t bend over backwards to get someone in from Newcastle and pay a big fee to secure his services and then say ‘see you later’ after five months. It doesn’t make any sense to me. The communication with all of these decisions has been poor in my opinion.
“INEOS really haven’t covered themselves in glory since the start of the summer when they were talking to other managers while still employing Erik ten Hag. You can’t say, ‘Ten Hag’s our man’ and then four months later say the opposite. It shows a lack of clarity and a lack of direction and, most importantly, a lack of communication. Over the past 12 months, they’ve done nothing else than just upset a lot of people.”
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Meulensteen thinks Man Utd appointed Amorim as a bit of “gamble” and reckons England manager Thomas Tuchel would have done well at Old Trafford.
The former Man Utd assistant added: “Ruben Amorim is a bit of a gamble by the club, and Manchester United is a bit of a gamble for him as well. For him to leave Sporting CP after the last few years that he’s had there – I would have thought twice about it to be honest!
“I think Manchester United needed a manager who had some good knowledge about the Premier League, a strong personality and a good communicator in front of the media. I was a huge fan of Arne Slot and I know him well from the Dutch league, but he obviously went to Liverpool in the summer.
“There was Thomas Tuchel as well – obviously he has a bit of a temperamental background, but I do think he would have had the personality and character in front of the group to do well at the club. He would have been able to tell some home truths to the squad and I think he would have fit the bill in terms of what the club needed at the moment.”
Man Utd legend Gary Pallister has also had his say on Ashworth’s departure, he told MyBettingSites.co.uk: “I think everybody was caught off guard by the news of Dan Ashworth. He was somebody that was picked out to be the man to address the balance and recruitment, because the recruitment hasn’t been well for many years.
“We have wasted an awful amount of money on players that haven’t stood up to the task, and we all thought Dan was gonna be integral moving forward. It´s hard to talk about it right now because of all the rumours.
“It is surprising and it’s not a good look because he was seen as the man who should move us forward in that department.
“I am sure that a lot will come out in the wash. I guess, a lot has gone on behind closed doors, but I am sure they were just not happy with the fit. But it´s not a good look, because he was the man who should make a difference in recruitment. But it might not have gone as well as they thought.”
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