Gary Neville has criticized Manchester United's vague statement on Dan Ashworth's departure, saying that sometimes it is better to “hit us in the face of reality”.
Ashworth left Old Trafford yesterday by mutual consent after just five months in charge as sporting director as part of the off-field rebuild under Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos group.
The statement that accompanied his exit did not mention the reasons why Ratcliffe was angry that Ashworth publicly distanced himself from the decision to extend former coach Erik ten Hag's contract, although reports indicated this.
Neville sees little value in not revealing the truth to fans and believes United must become honest.
Dan Ashworth will leave his position as Manchester United sporting director by mutual agreement.#MUFC
– Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 8, 2024
Neville was shocked
Speaking on NBC Sports, the former United and England full-back said: “I'm really shocked that this has happened. It's not a great look at all and it's something that needs to be explained. I think the statement the club put out is really bad.
“Manchester United haven't had a voice for 10 years – they've lost their authority and their audacity. I think they've regained it a little bit in the last 12 months but what's really clear is that there's a fracture here, something has happened.
“You can't bring in someone of Dan Ashworth's caliber and then lose him five months later and think nothing went wrong. The fans will now be asking the question: 'What went wrong?' They will speculate, and it will leave a huge void.
“I think it's better for you to hit us in the face with the truth sometimes when it's so clear that something has gone wrong between the characters of Dan Ashworth, Omar Berrada, Dave Brailsford, whoever in the last few months. They clearly didn't get along with each other or It doesn't work.
“He only told us because obviously something happened. I think that's a weak statement.”
Robben shares his assessment of the disappointing evening at Old Trafford 💬#MUFC || #MUNNFO
– Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 7, 2024
Ashworth has been eyed for the United role
United had to wait for Ashworth to initially take over after months of haggling with his former club Newcastle over compensation, making the situation even more difficult to understand, according to Neville.
He added: “You would expect big changes, but not changes in this position.” “Dan Ashworth has been sought for months. He has been hounded for 10 months, on gardening leave for four or five months, and paid millions of pounds.
“I worked with Dan Ashworth at the FA for two years and he was very successful wherever he was – Brighton, West Brom, the FA and more recently at Newcastle.
Ashworth was reportedly told of the decision in a meeting shortly after United's 3-2 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening, marking new manager Ruben Amorim's first setback in charge.
United are not expected to appoint a direct replacement, at least in the short term, despite the January transfer window opening in three weeks. It is believed that head coach Jason Wilcox and interim director of recruitment Christopher Fievel will take on additional responsibility in the interim period.
