Dan Ashworth’s brief tenure as Manchester United’s sporting director saw an eye-watering £200million expenditure on new talent over the summer.
Ashworth transitioned from Newcastle just five months ago but has now departed the club. United released a statement saying: “Dan Ashworth will be leaving his role as Sporting Director of Manchester United by mutual agreement. We would like to thank Dan for his work and support during a transitional period for the club and wish him well for the future.”
The 53-year-old was unveiled by Sir Jim Ratcliffe as a figure to help drive United forward in the transfer market. In doing so, he played a pivotal role in aiding Erik ten Hag to secure players such as Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee.
But United are now on the lookout for a new man in charge of recruitment. Here, we take a closer look at the players brought in by Ashworth.
Noussair Mazraoui – £17.9m
Rating: 8/10
The 27-year-old full-back has significantly impressed new head coach Ruben Amorim due to his consistent performances and adaptability. Now making waves in the back three for Amorim’s quartet of matches, Mazraoui has been a staple in the United defence throughout the season.
Having moved from Bayern Munich for a modest fee in the summer, Mazraoui has featured in all of United’s Premier League, Europa League, and League Cup matches. Nominated for the club’s November Player of the Month award, he has also brought much-needed stability to United’s defence.
Although he didn’t start in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest, his second-half appearance added some order to a repeatedly compromised defence. He is undoubtedly one of Amorim’s most valuable players as the manager embarks on a new chapter at the club.
Matthijs De Ligt – £42.9m
Rating: 4/10
Despite being involved in numerous high-profile transfers throughout his career, De Ligt has struggled to maintain consistency wherever he has played. A promising stint at Ajax led to costly moves to Juventus and then Bayern Munich, who approved his £42.9m transfer to the Red Devils.
Despite playing in all of United’s Premier League games this season and featuring prominently in Amorim’s revamped back three, the 25-year-old often appears sluggish and doubtful with the ball. Responsible for Forest’s third goal on Sunday, it wasn’t the first time the Dutch international has been caught short this season, and it looks like Amorim will soon have to make a significant decision about the expensive defender in the months to come.
Leny Yoro – £58.9m
Rating: 5/10
The young player’s brief stint at United is a tough one to assess. After sustaining an injury shortly after his high-profile move from Lille, Yoro only made his debut as a second-half substitute in the club’s 2-0 defeat to Arsenal earlier this month.
Nonetheless, Amorim chose to field the 19-year-old in Saturday’s loss to Forest. While his performance wasn’t particularly outstanding, his age, aerial prowess, and Amorim’s recent faith in him suggest that the French starlet has a bright future at United, although the jury is still out.
Manuel Ugarte – £50m
Rating: 5/10
Arguably the signing that United fans were most excited over, the Uruguayan international was expected to bring some much-needed power and crunch to the Red Devil’s midfield. Having arrived from PSG for £50m, it could be argued that Ugarte hasn’t contributed much at all so far.
Initial hype around the 23-year-old’s arrival, after he was heralded as a game-changing signing for the club, has somewhat subsided, with Ugarte only making the starting line-up five times this season. However, he has played in all four of Amorim’s Premier League matches and even started in their recent losses to Arsenal and Forest, where he showed some of the steel United’s supporters expect to see from the midfielder.
Joshua Zirkzee – £36.5m
Rating: 4/10
Zirkzee’s stint at United appeared to be on the brink of an early finish after a run of eleven Premier League games without scoring. However, his fortunes seemed to turn with a sleek double in United’s recent 4-0 hammering of Everton.
Despite showing promise, Zirkzee has been culpable of squandering some golden opportunities. The 23-year-old Dutchman, who transferred from Serie A team Bologna, never quite fit the build of a traditional striker, therefore his sparse goal tally at Old Trafford – four across all competitions – may not be the fairest yardstick for assessment.
Yet, Amorim has only given the forward one starting position in his four matches as manager, indicating that the Portuguese coach remains unconvinced about Zirkzee.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk