Since their arrival at Manchester United, INEOS have suffered a turbulent first twelve months with a raft of changes behind the scenes and poor performance on the pitch leading to question marks over their suitability to turn the club’s fortunes around.
Erik ten Hag was granted a bumper transfer kitty last summer after the decision to keep him in post followed a poor league campaign that was saved by the against-the-odds FA Cup success.
INOES backed their man in the transfer market only to part ways with him just over two months into the season after a wretched start that left them languishing in the bottom half of the table.
Part of the backing was to sign Ten Hag’s fellow countryman Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich based on the pair’s strong relationship developed at their former club Ajax.
However, as reported by ESPN’s Mark Ogden, the board at Old Trafford were not as keen on the centre-back but agreed to sign the defender as a show of strength to Ten Hag.
“The club didn’t want Mathijs de Ligt!”
ESPN’s @MarkOgden_ says INEOS deserve credit for the departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/c10HLB7cy5
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) February 20, 2025
Former Sporting Director Dan Ashworth played a huge role in the signing, and the backing of Ten Hag, neither of whom are still in situ at the club, with the closed season decisions clearly a key factor in the parting of the ways for both.
“The club didn’t want Matthijs de Ligt,” Ogden says.
“Matthijs de Ligt was a signing that was kind of driven through by Erik ten Hag and despite the fact they felt they were well-stocked with centre-halves, United, or Dan Ashworth, felt that because they had just given Ten Hag a new contract they had to show they had faith in him by singing a player he wanted.
“You could say that was a weakness on Dan Ashworth’s part, he shouldn’t have gave that the green light.”
Despite the club’s reservations, De Ligt has proven himself to be a mainstay in Amorim’s three at the back system and, for the most part, has looked capable of keeping his place in the side long term.
Given Amorim’s set-up, the 25-year-old’s most comfortable position would be in the middle of the back three rather than either side of the dominant centre-back and having to cover wide areas where he has found himself too often at times since his arrival.
De Ligt also provides United with a threat in the opposition box with his aerial ability. This notched him a goal in one of his early outings for the club, away at Southampton.
However, Ogden’s words are another stark reminder of INEOS’ early struggles with life at the Theatre of Dreams. But having made the call to move Ashworth out of the door, they will now be hoping for a much more fruitful summer heading into Amorim’s first full season in charge.
Feature image Alex Pantling via Getty Images
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Conner Botterill
Conner Botterill has been with The Peoples Person for two years. A keen match-going red with degrees in Sport and Journalism and Philosophy and Psychology, Conner still believes he has a chance of making United’s first team through his 5-a-side career.
