Man Utd sporting director Dan Ashworth 'leaves' club

Manchester United's sporting director Dan Ashworth has left Old Trafford after just five months with the club, as per The Athletic.

The Red Devils fell to a disappointing 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday as mistakes from individual players proved costly in the tense affair. Headlines on Sunday morning, however, have strayed away from performances on the pitch and instead turned to the boardroom.

Reports have revealed that Ashworth, who left Newcastle United in favour of Man Utd in the summer, has now left the club after a matter of months.

His arrival at United was a long process following a lengthy spell of gardening leave at his former club, but the Red Devils were keen on welcoming Ashworth to lead their new recruitment structure under co-owners INEOS.

The 2024/25 campaign has already brought changes to the club's structure - with former boss Erik ten Hag let go in October before new head coach Ruben Amorim's arrival days later.

Ashworth's departure came after a meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada, during which they decided that he would leave. Reports reveal that while United instigated the separation, the final decision was mutual between Ashworth and the club.

The sporting director was in charge of football performance, recruitment and operations and had already played a vital part in trying to reshape the club. He was involved in heavy summer spending at Old Trafford - welcoming Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee to the side.

It remains unclear which direction the club will go in now Ashworth has departed, with a clear gap now vacant at Old Trafford.

READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP