‘Man United should have sacked Dave Brailsford over Dan Ashworth’
Jim Ratcliffe has been called out for making the wrong decision by firing Dan Ashworth and keeping Dave Brailsford at Man United.
Following an impressive stint as sporting director at Newcastle, Man United spent in the region of £6-10million to bring Ashworth to Old Trafford, Stefan Borson revealed to Football Insider exclusively.
The former Magpie had made a name for himself for being a savvy operator in the transfer market, having brought in players like Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall.
However, following a disappointing start to the season, Ratcliffe made the surprising decision to sack Ashworth, less than six months after his appointment.
The decision is believed to have cost several million pounds, in addition to the outlay to bring him to Manchester in the first place.
Instead, Brailsford was tasked with running United behind the scenes, having been heavily involved in Ratcliffe’s cycling team, Team INEOS.
With the Red Devils now closing in on a 16th-placed finish, Richard Keys has called out the club’s minority owner’s decision to part ways with the former sporting director in his blog (12 May).
Jim Ratcliffe made big mistake in sacking Dan Ashworth
Keys did not hold back in his assessment of the “shambles” that had been created by Ratcliffe and Brailsford, he wrote: “What a shambles the Jim Reaper [Ratcliffe] and Dave Brailsford have created.
“It’s as clear as a dodgy Jiffy bag to me that Brailsford should’ve gone a couple of months ago – not Dan Ashworth.
“Amorim wasn’t Ashworth’s choice, but he’s a football man and had he stayed I’m sure he would’ve worked with him.
“Ashworth must be [expletive] himself right now.”
Dan Ashworth’s managerial suggestions should have been listened to
Football Insider Verdict
The Athletic reported in December last year that, following Ashworth’s dismissal, one of the reasons for his departure was due to not offering a concrete solution for a new manager.
Ratcliffe wanted a clear and decisive answer, but was instead presented with a list of potential options to mull over.
That list was said to include Graham Potter as an interim option until the end of the season, with the longer-term options being Thomas Frank, Marco Silva, and Eddie Howe.
Ashworth focused on targeting managers with Premier League experience, and each of those three names has a good shout to be in the running for the Premier League’s Manager of the Year.
But instead, Ratcliffe wanted Ruben Amorim, a manager who made clear his desire to join at the end of the season so that he could implement his tactical system with the benefit of a pre-season to do so.
Instead, the Portuguese boss was strong-armed into taking the job early and United have endured a nightmare season that could be made all the worse if they lose to Tottenham in the Europa League final.