Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand has revealed his theory on why Dan Ashworth left Old Trafford after only five months at the Premier League club.
The Red Devils announced on Sunday that Ashworth had departed as sporting director by “mutual consent” after their 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
A short Man Utd 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 on Sunday that ‘multiple sources, speaking anonymously like others in this story to protect relationships, say United instigated the separation.’
There have also been claims that Ashworth’s comments about former head coach Erik ten Hag ‘infuriated’ Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and had ‘quickly become unimpressed’ by the former Newcastle sporting director.
Ashworth was reportedly frustrated at the hiring of new head coach Ruben Amorim with the former Man Utd sporting director wanting an English manager, and was particularly keen on Gareth Southgate.
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But Man Utd legend Ferdinand insists that Ashworth probably wasn’t used to giving up his role as “a lone ranger” as he had to work with Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox “as a three”.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand said on Ashworth: “You have to remember that the jobs where he’s been before, and he’s been hugely successful, whether it be at Brighton, West Brom, Newcastle or with England with the FA, he’s kind of been a lone ranger, on his own, the main guy dictating and having final say on a lot of things that goes on.
“That was a very different situation at United where you’ve got Wilcox and Berrada there, who are heading up the football operations together as a three.
“And then overriding that, Sir David Brailsford and Sir Jim Ratcliffe. So its a committee approach rather than one man making the decisions, maybe Dan Ashworth couldn’t get to grips with that and wanted autonomy over everything, he wanted his finger prints over everything.
“If I’m looking in, my honest opinion is that its a different way of working for him and he hasn’t been able to maybe adjust to it.”
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