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100% aerial duels won, 10 clearances: United youngster puts in commanding performance despite 1-2 loss

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    Manchester United loanees experienced a mixed Saturday afternoon of action.

    Sonny Aljofree at Accrington Stanley was aiming to recover from an own goal and a 2-5 loss midweek against Grimsby.

    Unfortunately his side lost 1-2 at the Wham Stadium at home to Bromley but there was an improvement from the United youngster.

    Sofascore gave him a rating of 6.7 and he made 10 clearances in the match.

    He completed one interception and made three successful tackles for his side.

    Aljofree was also strong in his duels, winning three out of three aerial battles and three out of his four ground duels.

    He had 64 touches but was poor on the ball as he gave it away 27 times and only had a 52% passing accuracy.

    The 19 year old will next be in action for the Owd Reds when they travel to Rhys Bennett’s Fleetwood Town on Monday 16th December.

    Bennett also had to endure defeat with his side as Fleetwood lost 3-1 away to Swindon Town.

    The 2022 Youth cup winning captain was making his second appearance since returning from injury earlier in the season.

    He was given a score of 6.7 from Sofascore and like Aljofree, made 10 clearances in the match.

    The 21 year old made one interception and impressively won five out of his seven aerial duels. He also won one out of two ground battles.

    He had 45 touches of the ball and kept the play ticking over as he completed 27 out of his 31 passes and played one key pass in the match.

    Bennett also showed off his passing range as he completed four out of his six long ball attempts.

    Finally, James Nolan played for Inverness Caledonian Thistle as they produced a stunning late comeback to beat Montrose 3-2 in Scotland’s league one.

    The United youngster played the full 90 minutes from the right back position.

    He will next be in action when Inverness welcome Arbroath to the Caledonian Stadium next Saturday afternoon.

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    Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.

    Ten Hag signing hints at Man Utd exit in 2025: ‘I need more playing time in my position’

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      Man Utd goalkeeper Altay Bayindir has hinted that he may have to leave the Red Devils in 2025 for regular first-team football.

      The Red Devils invested a lot of time and money into Erik ten Hag before making the decision to sack him earlier this season after a terrible start to the new campaign.

      Man Utd spent a lot money on new signings during Ten Hag’s reign at the club with their goalkeeping department completely replaced as legendary goalkeeper David de Gea left the club.

      Andre Onana came in as first choice 18 months ago, while Bayindir was signed as competition at the Premier League giants and Tom Heaton stayed on as back-up.

      Bayindir joined from Turkish giants Fenerbahce in a deal worth £4.3m in the summer of 2023 but he has only made three appearances in all competitions and has yet to play a Premier League match for Man Utd.

      The Daily Mail reported on December 3 that Man Utd were hoping to keep the Turkey international until the end of the season but could be forced to sell in January as Bayindir seeks more playing time.

      MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
      👉 Man Utd: Neville tells Amorim to copy Maresca’s strategy at Chelsea after Forest ‘mess’
      👉 Hargreaves names only Man Utd player who is now ‘undroppable’ after Forest defeat
      👉 Ashworth leaves Man Utd role as source claims the club ‘instigated the separation’

      The report claimed:

      ‘United are assessing their goalkeeping options in case No 2 Altay Bayindir leaves during the January transfer window.

      ‘The Turkey international moved to Old Trafford from Fenerbahce in the summer of 2023 for £4.3m as back-up to Andre Onana, and has only made three appearances in the domestic cup competitions.

      ‘Bayindir, 26, is known to want more first-team football and was linked with a move to Celtic in the summer. Confidential understands that United would prefer to wait until the end of the season to replace him, but will be ready to move in January if needed.

      ‘United could look to bring in a new goalkeeper in January if Altay Bayindir (pictured) leaves. They are looking at younger alternatives to veteran Tom Heaton and are keeping an eye on Sunderland keeper Anthony Patterson, although the 24-year-old is also of interest to Tottenham.’

      And now the Turkey international has spoken out about his future with Bayindir hinting that he may have to leave Man Utd unless he gets more time on the pitch.

      Bayindir tells BeIN Sports: “It feels great to be here [but] I need to find more playing time in my position. If you are happy when you are not playing, it is not a good thing for a professional football player. Of course, you need to approach it in a healthy way without disrupting the energy of the environment.

      “It is difficult for me as someone who always wants to play. But I always continue to work for some things to change.”

      Video: Marvellous United Women smash Liverpool 4-0 in pulsating tie

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        Manchester United Women roared back into form with a fantastic 4-0 victory over Liverpool in the Women’s Super League this afternoon.

        Marc Skinner’s side dominated from start to finish as they had 21 shots to the visitors’ eight, despite having slightly less of the ball at 48%.

        United started strongly at the Leigh Sports Village, as they looked to recover from a 1-0 loss to leaders Chelsea before the international break.

        Grace Clinton, who scored for England on international duty during the week, cut in onto her left foot early on, but her shot was gobbled up the Liverpool keeper Teagan Micah.

        United had to do some defending for themselves shortly after as Millie Turner gave the ball away with a careless pass and Liverpool midfielder Fuka Nagano shot from range but Phallon Tullis-Joyce was equal to it, as she got her body behind the bouncing effort.

        The home crowd were soon in raptures however when a shot from Geyse was blocked and United striker Elisabeth Terland fired an unstoppable effort into the bottom left hand corner to give the Red Devils the lead after 33 minutes.

        Just one minute later, United were in dreamland as Leah Galton doubled their advantage.

        Right from kick off, Liverpool lost the ball and Dominique Janssen played a great ball over the top which Galton ran onto before firing a powerful drive past the Liverpool keeper to make it 2-0 with 34 minutes played.

        The visitors almost got an immediate response as Cornelia Kapocs recovered from a mix-up in the United defence but once again, the impressive American keeper Tullis-Joyce was equal to anything Liverpool threw at her.

        After the half-time break, United started well once more and after great pressing from Clinton, she laid the ball off to Galton whose fine effort was well blocked by the Liverpool defence.

        Just before the hour mark, Skinner’s side took a commanding lead as Janssen gave United their third.

        After a corner kick, Galton held the ball up well and laid it off for the Dutch international who fired a fine effort into the bottom left hand corner, giving the visitors’ shot stopper no chance.

        It was her first ever goal in the WSL and what a way to score it, at home to United’s biggest rivals.

        Clinton almost added to her impressive season’s goal tally with a fine effort that was well saved before the home side rounded off their victory with a fine fourth.

        A great move by United was ended when the ball was hung up well to the back post, where substitute Melvine Malard was there to volley home in the 81st minute.

        United saw out the game with little threat on their goal and went 4th in the table, four points behind second placed Manchester City.

        The Women’s team will next be in action when they take on Newcastle in the League Cup on Wednesday evening at 7pm UK time.

        Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

        Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.

        “A partnership of doom”: United fan group launch scathing attack on Ineos and Glazers

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          Manchester United fan group the 1958 have launched a scathing attack on new owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos in a statement.

          Storm clouds have been gathering for a while around Ineos from cutting staff, making them pay for their own travel arrangements to a cup final and perceived neglect of the women’s team.

          The criticism of the new owners really gathered pace when it was announced there would be a mid-season hike in ticket prices for match-going fans and many supporters are increasingly worried about the competency of the new hierarchy when it broke this morning that new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, left the club after just five months in charge.

          Sir Jim Ratcliffe has defended himself in an interview that was released yesterday claiming that tough decisions need to be taken due to the “mediocre” state the club finds itself in but it is fair to say, he is struggling to find much sympathy from fans, especially match going ones.

          The 1958, a supporters group who define themselves as “an underground group of reds intent on upholding the values of Manchester United, its culture and tradition”, have released a statement condemning recent decisions made by Ineos.

          They open their statement by claiming, “twenty years of inept governance from the Glazers seems to have continued with the new investors. Redundancies and ticket hikes seem the easy targets for Sir Jim and his team to cover catastrophic incompetence from his fellow shareholders.”

          “If fans have to pay for poor club decisions and recruitment[, t]hen the last 11 years of incompetence doesn’t bode well for future ticket prices, club culture and heritage nor its working-class roots.”

          The organisation claimed that the “elephant in the room” is the Glazer debt which the club still has weighing it down and claimed that Ratcliffe and Ineos should make the “tough decision” to enforce the Glazers to remove this burden from the club.

          They also criticised Ratcliffe’s recent interview with Andy Mitten claiming that it wasn’t a “good optic.”

          The 1958 believe that Sir Jim’s comparison of United not being able to charge less than Fulham is incorrect due to the fact “there is simply no comparison between deprived communities of Trafford and surrounding areas in the North of England. Traditional working class and industrial areas of our country. Out of touch, head in the clouds, everything he said he wasn’t.”

          It was also pointed out that the Glazers are still at the core of the club and that Ineos and the American owners are currently “a partnership of doom” as Ratcliffe and co.’s actions are not living up to their words off the pitch.

          The group also poured scorn on the notion that the club is any better at communicating ideas to fans, and a recent fan survey by the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust suggested the majority of fans are in agreement.

          The 1958 sign off with the message, “on and off the pitch we are light years away from getting our club back to where it belongs. If you are not angry you should be. If you are not concerned you should be. We are ready for the fight, when will others wake up and be ready with us?!”

          Twenty years of inept governance from the Glazers seems to have continued with the new investors.

          Redundancies and ticket hikes seem the easy targets for Sir Jim and his team to cover catastrophic incompetence from his fellow shareholders.

          If fans have to pay for poor club… pic.twitter.com/h3s5llLeKv

          — The 1958 (@The__1958) December 8, 2024

          Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

          Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.

          Pundit names “the only undroppable” of Ruben Amorim’s forward line at United

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            Owen Hargreaves questioned Ruben Amorim’s substitutions in Manchester United’s 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest yesterday, and called Amad Diallo the only “undroppable” forward.

            Speaking on Premier League Productions, via Football365, the former United midfielder registered his disbelief that captain Bruno Fernandes was withdrawn with the hosts desperately chasing a goal.

            “I was amazed he went off,” he said. “He created a goal, scored another, and for some reason at the crucial part of the game when you need a goal you take him off?”

            He continued that the United manager, who is rapidly grasping the scale of the job he has on his hands, will be rueing the decision.

            “I’m guessing he’ll probably regret that because I thought Bruno was the one guy, everything was running through him.”

            The Champions League winner credited Fernandes as one of the two true attacking threats United had on the pitch, along with Diallo.

            The young Ivorian has been a revelation under the new United manager, who has been deploying him as a right wing-back.

            And Hargreaves felt that pair are “the two where you’d say they’re going to create you something”.

            Marcus Rashford was a notable absentee from the starting XI, although he entered the fray with half an hour to go when he replaced Alejandro Garnacho.

            Hargreaves was reluctant to place the Englishman in Amorim’s best XI, a view many fans will echo based on his recent form.

            “I think he’s an option but none of the boys at the top of the pitch are undroppable outside of Amad maybe,” said Hargreaves.

            He also nodded towards another important player for Amorim, Noussair Mazraoui, and noted that he was taken aback that the Moroccan didn’t start the game.

            “I was surprised Mazraoui didn’t play, I think he’s been Man United’s best player this season, but he probably wanted to give someone else an opportunity,” he said.

            “I do think his team in the end will be Mazraoui, Yoro, Martinez, I think that’ll be his back three.”

            Mazraoui replaced Leny Yoro after 66 minutes, with the young Frenchman’s minutes being carefully managed as he returns to full fitness.

            It will be exciting to see if Hargreaves’ prediction comes true, with Mazraoui clearly a key player in the squad and Matthijs de Ligt having his fair share of struggles so far since joining the club.

            Featured image Gareth Copley via Getty Images

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            Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.

            Manchester United sack off Ashworth in huge U-turn and massive vote of Amorim confidence

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              You have to admit, that really is very funny. After all the scribbling over the summer about how sporting directors are now arguably even more valued and sought after than head coaches, and after weeks of waiting for Dan Ashworth’s transformative move to Manchester United, he has ended up on the Old Trafford scrap heap in almost record time.

              Manchester United spent about as long waiting for Ashworth to be able to make the switch from Newcastle as he actually spent in the job itself, with the club mutually consenting Ashworth just five months after his arrival at the club.

              There are always significant missteps in the early days of any new ownership’s regime, and Ashworth has apparently quickly been seen as one of them by INEOS. Is that a kneejerk of immense proportions, or a swift, decisive action to correct an obvious mistake?

              Details are sketchy at the moment, which makes it difficult to say, but only time can bear out the truth in any case. Just look at United’s summer business, which was generally regarded as appropriate and sensible as the new Premier League season approached, but was quickly exposed as woefully deficient.

              READ: Ranking Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s mistakes at Man Utd: Disability budget cuts in at five

              The folly of their decision to hold onto Erik ten Hag was certainly pressed home by United’s poor early-season form. Ashworth has been on record to say he played no role at all in the decision to keep the Dutchman, and nor is it clear what his stance was on his dismissal at this stage.

              Nor is it clear at what point United had made up their minds that Ashworth would be given the heave-ho. It’s not uncommon for everyone at a club to be aware of an impending departure like that but to keep it closely under wraps; it does neither party any good to leak it.

              But the lack of Ashworth quotes on the club statement that announced Ruben Amorim’s arrival feels significant. This isn’t a ‘they can’t sell him because he’s on the club calendar’ kind of thing: such omissions are rarely done by accident. It’s a moment’s work to include them. Press officers often base those kinds of quotes off a quick one-minute phone call, or just write them on the quoted party’s behalf and get the sign-off by text or email.

              That makes their omission more likely to be purposeful than not. The club may have wanted Ashworth’s name nowhere near Amorim’s appointment, or Ashworth himself may not have wished to be associated with it; the early reporting suggests it may have been a little of both. Either way, both parties would have known there was an issue.

              Whatever that problem was, it is an undeniable setback for United that screams of their indecision about what they actually want to be. Ashworth’s appointment was meant to set them up for the longer-term future by giving them a level of certainty and cohesion that has been demonstrably lacking at the top of the club for years.

              United may see it differently, arguing that their decision to wield the axe so quickly is the clear and decisive act of a club that still knows the direction they want to go in and had found that Ashworth was not that. Amorim’s arrival may only have compounded that feeling and it’s possible they have an appointment in mind who they feel better aligns with his vision.

              Still…the whole point of hiring a sporting director is that they are meant to be more of a constant than the head coach, ensuring a cohesive through-line to the club’s thinking. It should not ideally work the other way round.

              INEOS might also argue that sticking with Ashworth despite feeling it was not working was the best thing to do, and that fear of embarrassment should be last on their list of priorities when they’re trying to rebuild themselves.

              United, as an institution, have been embarrassing enough for ten years without adding more to that by going down the wrong path just because of the optics of it – and god knows that club has held itself back because it has been more concerned with saving face and rarely admitting to a mistake than actually doing what is in their own best interest.

              Even then, you have to ask what had happened in those five months to lower his stock so considerably; they did not go through a protracted HR wrangle with Newcastle by accident. To effectively go with Amorim over Ashworth is a vote of enormous confidence in their new manager, but the wisdom of that will only become clear over time.

              Quite possibly, Ashworth’s face simply didn’t fit at United. It happens sometimes. Their weight is now well and truly behind the Ruben Amorim machine – and it has to pay off for them.

              MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
              👉 Man Utd: Neville tells Amorim to copy Maresca’s strategy at Chelsea after Forest ‘mess’
              👉 Hargreaves names only Man Utd player who is now ‘undroppable’ after Forest defeat
              👉 Ten of the greatest backheel goals, including Cristiano Ronaldo and iconic Arsenal pair

              Man Utd staff ‘furious’ at Ratcliffe after ‘rudderless’ Red Devils let Ashworth leave

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                Some Man Utd staff have been ‘furious’ with the way Sir Jim Ratcliffe has handled the running of the club since becoming co-owner, according to a former Premier League CEO.

                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 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.

                MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
                👉 Man Utd: Neville tells Amorim to copy Maresca’s strategy at Chelsea after Forest ‘mess’
                👉 Hargreaves names only Man Utd player who is now ‘undroppable’ after Forest defeat
                👉 Dan Ashworth ‘tipping point’ revealed as he’s pushed to Man Utd exit by Amorim

                And now Football Insider claim some staff are ‘furious’ at the Man Utd co-owner’s handling of club affairs with former Everton CEO Keith Wyness insisting that he has “lost a lot of morale within the staff”.

                Wyness told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “Ratcliffe has started off on a very shaky peg.

                “There were protests last weekend outside the ground about the pricing at Old Trafford. He’s lost a lot of morale within the staff, I know that for a fact.

                “A lot of United staff I’ve spoken to think the whole operation is just rudderless at the moment. They feel there are too many leaders at the top.

                “It’s not a happy ship. But it does seem Amorim has made a good start, and could be the character to bind things together.”

                Hiring Ruben Amorim and sacking Ten Hag cost Man Utd a lot of money and there are doubts that the Red Devils will have much money to spend in the winter transfer window.

                Man Utd legend Teddy Sheringham said back in November when Amorim had been announced as the new head coach: “In terms of new signings, potentially the money’s been spent.

                “Amorim is inheriting what is essentially Ten Hag’s squad, there’s going to be guys in there that he’s not going to want, so it will take time to build the squad that he wants. I would love to see United be ambitious and try to make a couple of exciting signings in January if they have the budget to do it.”

                Gary Neville slams Amorim for doing what Ten Hag did before he was sacked

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                  Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has received backlash from Gary Neville following his side’s 3-2 defeat against Nottingham Forest.

                  Two things have been consistent in the early days of Amorim’s reign at United. Firstly, the ex-Sporting CP boss has ensured a clear identity and approach is there for everyone to see; and secondly, he has heavily rotated his team in all of his games in charge of the Red Devils.

                  After the 2-0 defeat at Arsenal, Amorim made four changes to his starting lineup for the home clash against Forest. The result, however, was not very different, as Nuno Espírito Santo’s men took home all three points.

                  Back-to-back defeats have led to question marks over the new gaffer’s decision-making, with Neville suggesting Amorim’s constant chopping and changing is sending the wrong message.

                  Speaking on NBC Sports (via the Mirror), Neville said: “When you keep changing players, when you keep changing your back three, when you take five players off, you’re basically saying to all of them effectively – because they’ve been left out of the starting XI – you don’t trust them.”

                  The United legend pointed out that Erik ten Hag was doing the same during his final days at the club, leading to lack of stability and consistency.

                  Shining light on what happened against Forest, Neville added that Amorim should’ve left the players on, as they weren’t playing that bad in the first -half. As the game progressed, changes made from the touchline eventually led to United looking like a “mess” with “no real shape.”

                  Neville continued: “I think I said this for Ten Hag for 12 months, pick an XI that you think are the best. We thought that XI today apart from Luke Shaw was close to Manchester United ’s best XI you can get.”

                  While it is important for any manager to swiftly find his best XI, Amorim deserves plenty of time to test all players at his disposal before making any major decisions on their short-term and long-term futures at the club.

                  Further, it is crucial to manage their minutes during the busy December schedule.

                  Amorim was critical of himself in his post-match press conference, accepting his responsibility for the Mancunian giants’ struggles during set-piece defending.

                  Arsenal scored both of their goals at the Emirates from corner routines and Forest also dealt United an early blow from a corner kick, as Nikola Milenkovic outmuscled Lisandro Martinez to rattle Andre Onana’s net within two minutes of kickoff.

                  Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

                  Vishal has covered football for over five years. Currently a writer at The Peoples Person. Big fan of ball-playing center-backs!

                  Dan Ashworth ‘tipping point’ revealed as he’s pushed to Man Utd exit by Amorim

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                    It has been revealed that the appointment of Ruben Amorim was the ‘tipping point’ which saw Dan Ashworth leave Man Utd, according to reports.

                    The Red Devils announced Ashworth’s departure as sporting director on Sunday in a short statement on their official website after a morning of speculation.

                    A statement read: “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.”

                    Despite the statement suggesting otherwise, The Athletic insisted that ‘multiple sources, speaking anonymously like others in this story to protect relationships, say United instigated the separation.’

                    Man Utd have made a terrible start to the new Premier League season and haven’t been helped by the Red Devils spending around £180m on five new signings in the summer.

                    Josh Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui all arrived at Old Trafford but Man Utd are currently 13th in the Premier League table.

                    The Red Devils sacked Erik ten Hag after the Dutchman could only win three of Man Utd’s first nine Premier League matches and things haven’t got much better under new boss Amorim.

                    It cost Man Utd a fortune to sack Ten Hag and hire Amorim and his staff but the Portuguese coach has so far drawn one, won two and lost two of his first five matches in a continuation of their inconsistent form.

                    MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
                    👉 Man Utd: Neville tells Amorim to copy Maresca’s strategy at Chelsea after Forest ‘mess’
                    👉 Hargreaves names only Man Utd player who is now ‘undroppable’ after Forest defeat
                    👉 Ten of the greatest backheel goals, including Cristiano Ronaldo and iconic Arsenal pair

                    And now talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook insists that the “tipping point” for Ashworth was Amorim’s appointment after hoping for an English coach.

                    Crook wrote on X: “Understand Ashworth felt sidelined from the big decisions, almost from day one with [CEO, Omar] Berrada and [Sir Dave] Brailsford calling the shots.

                    “Tipping point was Amorim appointment. He (Ashworth) favoured a British coach i.e. [Gareth] Southgate. Also been told there was a clash of personalities [between Ashworth and Berrada].”

                    Ratcliffe, who pushed for months for Ashworth to sign in the summer from Newcastle, gave an interview yesterday in which he discussed recruitment.

                    The Man Utd co-owner told United We Stand: “Manchester United must have the best recruitment in the world. You can’t just flick a light switch and sort out recruitment. It’s all about people and we need to find the right ones.”

                    READ NEXT: Man United fail to weather storm as Amorim prediction proved right by high-flying Forest

                    “Furious” Sir Jim Ratcliffe blamed Ashworth for shocking decision he denied making – report

                      “furious”-sir-jim-ratcliffe-blamed-ashworth-for-shocking-decision-he-denied-making-–-report

                      Manchester United fans woke up this Sunday morning to the shocking news that sporting director Dan Ashworth has left Manchester United by mutual consent after just five months at the club.

                      The decision appears to have been made following yesterday’s disappointing 2-3 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford, after which Ashworth was seen exiting through the media room with his head down following a meeting with CEO Omar Berrada.

                      The news of Ashworth’s departure was broken this morning by David Ornstein of The Athletic but what was not covered in the outlet’s excellent report was the reason for the rift between club part owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the man he had described as “one of the top sporting directors in the world”.

                      But it would seem that the problem came about due to the decision not to sack former manager Erik ten Hag in the summer.

                      In an article in The Mail Online on 5th November, reporter Craig Hope claimed that “we have heard that United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is now furious with Ashworth and Sir Dave Brailsford… for insisting they stuck with Erik ten Hag in the summer.”

                      This is an interesting claim given that in September, Ashworth was asked directly what influence he had had on the decision to keep Ten Hag.

                      “I didn’t start until July 1, so none whatsoever,” he replied.

                      However, this response could have been a necessary lie. Due to the wrangling between United and Newcastle over Ashworth’s compensation package, he was put on gardening leave by the former for several months.

                      This made it illegal for him to be involved in any decision making at Old Trafford until his official start date. As he pointedly remarks, that was not until 1st July, whereas the decision not to sack Ten Hag was made in June.

                      The only way both these reports could be true is if Ashworth really was involved in the decision but could not admit to it because it would be also admitting he was working for United while still under contract at Newcastle.

                      Ultimately, the timing of the departure coming immediately after a match, as seems to be the case, suggests that there was more to it than that.

                      Nonetheless, if Ratcliffe really did blame Ashworth for the Ten Hag decision, whatever transpired yesterday may have merely been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

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                      Red Billy is the managing editor of The Peoples Person, author of three books and totally obsessed with football’s transfer market. Billy still insists Matteo Darmian and Alex Telles could have made it at United given half a chance.

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