Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'raised eyebrows' at what Dan Ashworth did just two days into Ruben Amorim's tenure as Man Utd manager

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is said to have 'raised eyebrows' at what Dan Ashworth did on Ruben Amorim’s second day at the Carrington training ground.

After just five months in his role as sporting director, Ashworth agreed to his departure in a meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada following United's Premier League defeat to Nottingham Forest.

The 53-year-old, who was responsible for football performance, recruitment and operations at United, was previously labelled "one of the top sporting directors in the world" by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

But his transition into the high-profile position was not smooth, according to The Athletic, who have published a comprehensive breakdown of Ashworth's departure that has left staff at the club 'stunned'.

As well as touching on how his departure was instigated by those at the top, the report details which candidates Ashworth had in mind to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked in October.

In short, Ratcliffe wanted to hear ideas from Ashworth, the man renowned for his expertise at building structures, and he suggested a number of names, including Marco Silva, Thomas Frank and Graham Potter.

Ratcliffe is said to have wanted someone with charisma that was capable of 'shouldering the enormous responsibility and scrutiny' that comes with being the manager of Manchester United.

Ashworth, meanwhile, had little input on selecting Ruben Amorim.

Instead, chief executive officer Omar Berrada was the driving force behind getting Amorim from Sporting and engaged in face-to-face talks with their president Frederico Varandas.

According to the report, Ratcliffe felt Ashworth should have been much more assertive in his search for a new head coach and 'should have looked beyond those people he already knew', which is said to include Gareth Southgate.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe poses for a photo as Dan Ashworth looks on. Image credit: Getty

Ratcliffe was also seemingly unimpressed and 'raised eyebrows' at Ashworth taking a holiday on Amorim's second day at Carrington.

In fairness, Ashworth was at a 'significant' family event that had been previously postponed for work reasons.

But his absence from an executive committee meeting in November was also seen as a 'further indication all was not well' after previously attendings ones in London and Barcelona.

Ashworth was reportedly absent on Amorim's second day at Carrington. Image credit: Getty

Ahead of Saturday's clash against Nottingham Forest, Ratcliffe described United's existing state as "mediocre" and claimed that the club have to make "difficult and unpopular decisions" to inspire change.

"Manchester United has become mediocre," he told United We Stand. "It is supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the world. We have to make some difficult and unpopular decisions. If you shy away from the difficult decisions, then nothing much is going to change.”

Ratcliffe added: "I know we get criticism in the press, but we do need to challenge the cost of running this club because what I want to be free for us to do is buy really good footballers, not spend so much of the money on infrastructure.

"We can't run a business at a loss, which is where United have been in the last couple of years."