Man United ‘DITCH the role of sporting director’ after Sir Jim Ratcliffe brutally sacked Dan Ashworth just five months in – but a ‘Premier League rival could snap up transfer guru’

Manchester United have already ditched their sporting director role after brutally sacking Dan Ashworth just five months in, according to reports.

Ashworth was relieved of his duties in a meeting with United CEO Omar Berrada after the 3-2 defeat by Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Saturday night.

As reported by Mail Sport, the shock decision is understood to have been made by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford in consultation with co-owner Joel Glazer, although United have stressed that the separation was mutual.

Now, The Sun have claimed that United have called time on their failed experiment with the position dropped altogether just weeks before the January transfer window.

Ratcliffe, his right-hand man Brailsford, Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox are expected to assume the responsibilities of the role instead.

Ashworth is in line to receive a pay-off but the figure will be lower than the £3million United stumped up to belatedly prise him away from Newcastle in July.

Dan Ashworth was brutally sacked at the weekend just five months after being appointed

United CEO Omar Berrada (second from right) delivered the news to Ashworth at Old Trafford

The Sun have reported that Ashworth, 53, is now a potential target for Arsenal.

The club are weighing up their options to replace Edu as sporting director after he announced his departure, and free agent Ashworth is said to be on their radar.

Crucially, Ashworth holds a close working relationship with Arsenal managing director Richard Garlick, who is thought to be heading up the search for a replacement.

The two men worked together during their respective spells at West Brom for three years. Garlick was the legal director at The Hawthorns and operated under Ashworth, before then replacing him as sporting director when he joined the FA in 2013.

The same outlet has also linked Everton with the transfer guru.

It is understood United are not currently seeking a direct replacement for Ashworth.

Sources at United said that Ashworth’s departure was a ‘very difficult decision’, adding that he had conducted himself with decency and integrity.

United legend Rio Ferdinand was stunned by the surprise news but urged Ineos to apply the same level of ruthlessness to Ruben Amorim’s struggling squad.

Ashworth is now reportedly a target for Arsenal, who are searching for Edu’s successor

The bombshell departure comes just weeks before the January transfer window

‘Confusion is the first thing that comes to mind. I just hope that they’re this brutal as they have been with the staff that have been there for years and that they’re culling,’ Ferdinand said in a video posted on his official X account.

‘I hope they’re this brutal with the s*** players that are there. If there are any s*** players that are there, and ones that have either been there too long or the ones that just aren’t good enough, be as brutal as they’ve been. 

‘Get them the f*** out quick.

‘I hope they’re like that. For better or worse, at least they’ve made a bloody decision. That’s the way I think about it.

‘I think there’s a lot of noise around the club. Ticket price are now going up, there’s been laying off of 250 plus staff and again, they’re very definitive. 

‘They’re like, “We’re doing this. We don’t care about the noise.”‘