Dan Ashworth leaves role as Manchester United sporting director

Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth has left his role after just five months.

Ashworth officially started at United on 1 July, having spent five months on gardening leave at former club Newcastle.

His Old Trafford exit was finalised in a meeting after the Red Devils’ 3-2 home defeat by Nottingham Forest on Saturday, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.

News of the 53-year-old’s departure was first reported by the Athletic on Sunday., external

A United statement said the decision was by “mutual agreement”, adding: “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.”

Ashworth was seen walking through the press conference room with the club’s chief operating officer Collette Roche after the Forest match. It is understood he was on his way to a meeting where his exit was confirmed.

United have had a disappointing season so far, sacking manager Erik ten Hag in October after just three wins from their opening nine Premier League matches.

The club later confirmed it cost £10.4m to pay off Ten Hag and his staff, while the cost of paying a release clause to bring in his replacement Ruben Amorim was £11m.

Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has also been criticised by fans for scrapping concessions of what the club says are the 3% of tickets that remain unsold for Premier League matches and introducing a minimum price of £66.

The move triggered protests at Old Trafford before last weekend’s victory over Everton.

Ratcliffe has said that United have become “mediocre” and warned more “difficult and unpopular decisions” will be needed.

In the latest accounts, to 30 June 2024, the club announced a net loss of £113.2m. Total losses over the past five years are more than £370m, and the club have sacked Ten Hag and hired Amorim since then.

The loss to Forest left United 13th in the Premier League, with five wins from 15 matches.

Newcastle had been seeking as much as £20m in compensation for him with Manchester United always unwilling to meet that figure. In the end a fee of around £2m to £3m was agreed.

Ashworth had joined Newcastle United after resigning from his post as technical director at Brighton & Hove Albion in February 2022.

He moved to Brighton in 2019 following a spell as technical director at the Football Association (FA) — where he started in 2012 after time with West Bromwich Albion — and helped develop the men’s and women’s national teams.

During his time with the FA Ashworth was credited with playing an influential role in England’s World Cup victories at under-17 and under-20 level in 2017.