Ashworth steps down as Man Utd Sporting Director after five months

However, he has not gone less than halfway through his first season with the club, with United announcing in a statement, “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.”

During his time with West Brom, the Football Association, Brighton and then Newcastle, Ashworth had established himself as the leading Sporting Director in English football. 

At Manchester United, he had oversight of the entire football operation, including recruitment, analysis, Academy, data science, performance and medical, and men’s and women’s senior sides, although Dave Brailsford was above him as Director of Sport for INEOS, who are minority owners of the club. 

Ashworth was our guest on Episode #20 of the TGG Podcast, when he was Technical Director at Brighton, and gave in-depth insights into his job.

“The principle, in my opinion, is to look after the medium to long term interests of the football club,” he explained. “It’s not about short-term ‘get a result against Liverpool tomorrow’, it’s to try and make sure the club is set up in a way that those other departments… are there for the longer-term benefits of the club.

“Another thing that’s important is the connection from the boardroom onto the pitch. Every club has a CEO and chairman – and budgets, philosophies and principles – and it’s really important we get that across, whether it’s club values or maximising the budget and making sure we’re spending the money in the right way.”

Ashworth also appeared on the Sporting Director panel at our TGG Live Conference in 2023, covering a range of topics, including how he tackled the first 90 days in a new job. You can watch the session below.