MX23RW : Wednesday, December 11 22:24:17| >> :120:5522:5522:

Man United head coach Ruben Amorim reacts to "bad situation" following shock Dan Ashworth departure

© Imago
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim brands sporting director Dan Ashworth's surprise exit from Old Trafford "a bad situation".

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has branded Dan Ashworth's exit from Old Trafford "a bad situation", with the Portuguese quizzed on the situation ahead of Thursday's Europa League clash with Viktoria Plzen.

The Red Devils announced on Sunday that Ashworth had left his role as sporting director, just five months after arriving at the club, with his relationship with CEO Omar Berrada said to have been strained.

Man United have allegedly decided against bringing in a replacement for Ashworth, with technical director Jason Wilcox set to take on a bigger role alongside Sir Dave Brailsford, who is the director of sport at INEOS.

Ashworth is believed to have been against Amorim arriving as Erik ten Hag's replacement, with Gareth Southgate said to have been identified by the sporting director as the ideal man to lead the club forward.

Amorim opened up on the situation when speaking to the media during Wednesday's press conference, as Man United prepare to continue their Europa League campaign against Viktoria Plzen.

"The first thing I want to say since the first day I felt great support from the ownership, from Omar, from them also, from Jason (Wilcox), and Dan was part of that," Amorim told reporters. "And I really, really, really [received] support from Dan also.

Manchester United's sporting director Dan Ashworth on July 1, 2024© Imago

Man United announced Ashworth's departure on Sunday

"But this is football and sometimes this happens, happens with players, with coaches, I know it's not the best situation but the important thing is we continue in our way. The path is really clear for everybody and I think this can happen in football.

"Of course, it's a bad situation. Like I said, we are talking about a human being, a professional, that supports us as a team but I think the most important thing is the vision is really clear and that don't change if one person leaves.

"No, I don't think so [that there were disagreements]. I cannot tell you about the vision at just a press conference but we want to take this club to winning the Premier League and to be an elite club like this club should be.

"In this way we have to make changes because of the context. I don't know, you could change the coach, because you don't have results you could change the coach.

"So you can have a vision but sometimes you make a slight change of direction to find the same goal, so this could happen in football, we are focused on winning the Premier League, that is the main goal."

Man United will be aiming to bounce back from successive losses to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest when they continue their Europa League campaign against their Czech opponents on Thursday night.

ID:560348:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4685:
Written by
Matt Law

Click here for more stories about Ruben Amorim

Click here for more stories about Manchester United

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Paris Saint-Germain's Luis Campos on April 30, 2024
Read Next:
Berta, Campos: Will Man United bring in an Ashworth replacement?
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!