Major questions will arise over INEOS' leadership of Manchester United's football operations, following the departure of Dan Ashworth from the club after just five months as sporting director.
The latest shock at Old Trafford – following the decision to keep Erik ten Hag, back him heavily in the summer window and then sack him 13 games into the season – will be another expensive exercise.
United paid between £2m and 3m in compensation to Newcastle to secure Ashworth, who they have been waiting for longer than he was actually in office, and his departure will come at additional costs.
Amid mass layoffs and rising ticket prices, there is a growing sense that ordinary people are paying for the hierarchy's mistakes – first among the Glazers and now thanks to the navigation of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Ashworth's appointment was presented as the 'best in class' approach that would underpin United's new structure.
Although sources insist there was no major falling out, but rather an agreement that the setup wasn't working properly, it's yet another embarrassing sight for INEOS.
They will counter that they – along with Ten Hag and Ashworth – have been prepared to support someone, but have shown a decisive lead when it is clear that change is necessary.
In contrast to the developments surrounding the Dutchman, the Ashworth news came out of left field. However, there was an indication that he was not as committed as a sporting director should be.
It was CEO Omar Berrada who made the decision to appoint Ruben Amorim as the club's new head coach, negotiated with Sporting, took to the pitch for the Portuguese and welcomed him to the training pitch.
Ashworth is described by some as much more passive than other INEOS employees.
That is offset by several sources who feel he has not had time to get to grips with the scale of some areas – such as the scouting operation – while dealing with management change, club-wide restructuring and Carrington's redevelopment.
People close to Ashworth insist he was left out of key decision-making conversations and that his suggestions for collaboration and how to improve United's culture were ignored.
The opposing view is that he never fulfilled his role in the way Ratcliffe would have wanted, while Berrada, technical director Jason Wilcox and interim recruitment director Christopher Vivell were more committed.
Whatever the case, INEOS needs to show that these are simply teething problems resulting from the implementation of a new structure, and not a hugely costly habit of correcting their mistakes.
Ashworth's manic 10 months at Man Utd
February 2024 – Manchester United approach Newcastle for sporting director Dan Ashworth as the Magpies place him on gardening leave. Sir Jim Ratcliffe publicly calls Ashworth “one of the best sporting directors in the world” and calls Newcastle's negotiations over the transfer chief's move “absurd”.
May 2024 – It is revealed that Ashworth and United's new CEO Omar Berrada had email conversations about their move to Manchester United while still employed by other Premier League clubs. Under competition rules, clubs and directors must behave towards each other with the “utmost good faith”.
July 2024: Manchester United finally appoint Ashworth on July 1, five months after their initial approach was revealed. Newcastle wanted to hold out for compensation of £20 million, but a compromise was reached with United.
August 2024: The first summer transfer window featuring Ashworth comes to an end, with United spending more than £200 million on new players and raking in more than £110 million in revenue.
September 2024: After Man Utd are beaten 3-0 by Liverpool, Ashworth and Berrada reveal they had no input into the decision to keep Erik ten Hag this summer. However, Ashworth says he “really enjoyed” working with the Dutchman.
October 2024: Erik ten Hag is sacked by Manchester United after a 2–1 defeat to West Ham, leaving them 14th in the Premier League.
November 2024: Man Utd appoint Ruben Amorim as Ten Hag's successor, with Berrada the key figure involved in talks with Sporting over the Portuguese manager's move. United spent an extra €1 million on his €10 million release clause to secure Amorim early.
December 2024: Ashworth leaves United after a 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Neville hits out at 'weak' Man Utd after Ashworth's statement
Sky Sports' Gary Neville has criticized Man Utd's 'weak' statement announcing Dan Ashworth's departure from Old Trafford. He claims this will only fuel speculation about the reason for his sudden departure just five months after joining the club.
He told NBC: “Something like that can't be mutual. When INEOS came in, everyone knew there would be huge changes.
“There have recently been mass redundancies within the club and a complete overhaul of the club's governance including the CEO, CFO, sporting director, technical director and manager.
“You expected big changes, but not for this position. Ashworth was headhunted, he was chased for about ten months.
“He was on garden leave for four or five months, they paid millions of pounds to get him. I worked with Dan in the FA for two years and he has been very successful everywhere he has been. Brighton, West Brom, the FA and Newcastle most recent.
“I am very shocked that this has happened. It doesn't look great at all. It's something that needs a lot of explanation.
“The statement the club has made is really bad. Man Utd have had no voice for 10 years. They have lost their authority and courage.”
“They've gotten it back a bit in the last 12 months, but it's very clear there's a rift here. You can't bring in someone like Dan Ashworth, lose him after five months and think nothing has gone wrong.”
“Fans will be wondering what went wrong. They will speculate, huge gaps will arise.
“Sometimes it's better to hit us in the face with the truth when it's so obvious that something has gone wrong, between the personalities of Dan Ashworth and Omar Barrada, Dave Brailsford, whoever it is that doesn't get along.
“Just tell us, because it's obvious something happened. That explanation is weak.'
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