Ruben Amorim and Dan Ashworth (Photo by Clive Brunskill, Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Former Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth was reportedly in favour of hiring an English manager like Gareth Southgate instead of Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils chief has left his position at Old Trafford today in a surprise announcement, with the former Newcastle director only joining the club five months ago.
It seems all was not well behind the scenes between Ashworth and other key Man Utd figures, with talkSPORT reporting that there were particular issues and disagreements over who should be the cub’s new manager when it came to replacing Erik ten Hag.
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Amorim ended up getting the job, joining after doing impressive work at Sporting Lisbon, but it seems Ashworth would have preferred the controversial appointment of former England manager Southgate.
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Ashworth may have done impressive work during his time working on recruitment at clubs like Brighton and Newcastle, but maybe Man United was too big a step for him.
It seems unlikely that Southgate would have been an ideal candidate for MUFC, with a more forward-thinking coach like Amorim surely the better option.
Southgate had some positive moments as Three Lions boss, but he has little in the way of experience at the upper end of club football, and he’s not exactly renowned for an attractive style of football.
Things have not started that well for Amorim, but after seeing the hugely impressive job he did at Sporting, he should end up being a good choice if given enough time and resources to work his magic.
If Ashworth wasn’t that happy about the choice of manager, then it’s probably for the best for all involved that he’s now on his way out of United.
Mark Brus
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