Ratcliffe reveals reasons for Ashworth's departure

Ineos boss Jim Ratcliffe has revealed why Dan Ashworth left Manchester United after just five months in the job and admitted it was a mistake to extend Erik ten Hag's contract last summer.

Ashworth left Old Trafford last December after just five months in the sporting director role. Now, United minority shareholder Ratcliffe has finally revealed the reasons for his departure, admitting that offering former manager Erik Ten Hag a new contract last summer was "a mistake".

He told the Daily Telegraph: "These were all wrong decisions. Regarding Ten Hag's contract extension, the situation was a little more complicated. There was a lot of discussion about his future at the time. He had just won a cup championship and the fans generally wanted him to stay. But in the final analysis, it was indeed a mistake. That's all we can say. On this road, we need to make many decisions, and it is impossible to be right every time. We will never be perfect in the future."

Speaking about Ashworth's departure, Ratcliffe added: "It's just like what we do at INEOS. It's about chemistry. I don't want to get into it, to be honest. It is what it is and it's our responsibility."

Manchester United is currently in turmoil, with the team ranked 14th in the Premier League, a wave of layoffs within the club, and fans' dissatisfaction with the management is escalating. Manchester United spent months introducing Ashworth from Newcastle, but soon fired him at a high price, which undoubtedly made the club's decision questioned again.

Amid this turmoil, Ruben Amorim's Manchester United will be hoping for some good news on Thursday when they host Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie, which ended in a 1-1 draw in Spain.