Amorim Addresses Ashworth’s Manchester United Exit, Calls It ‘Not Best Situation’

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has characterized Dan Ashworth’s unexpected departure as “not the best situation,” though he asserts that the club’s strategic direction remains distinct and unaffected. Ashworth had been working with Amorim for just under a month. The exit of United’s sporting director was officially confirmed on Sunday, following a tenure of merely 159 days at the club. Amorim addressed the media for the initial time since Ashworth’s departure, ahead of the team’s Europa League match against Viktoria Plzen scheduled for Thursday. Amorim, who assumed his role on 11 November, stated, “The first thing I want to say is that, since the first day, I felt great support from the ownership.” He further elaborated on the backing received, mentioning, “From Omar [Berrada, chief executive], from Dan also, from Jason [Wilcox, technical director]. Dan was part of that, and I really felt support from Dan also.” He added, “But this is football and sometimes these things happens. It happens with players, with coaches.” Amorim continued, “I know that 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.” When questioned about potential concerns regarding United’s stability compared to his arrival, Amorim responded, “I don’t think so. I’ve felt since day one the support from everybody, so one person leaving doesn’t change nothing.” He acknowledged, “Of course, it’s a bad situation, because we are talking about a human being, a professional, that supports us as a team.” Amorim concluded on this point by stating, “But I think the most important thing is that your vision is really clear and that vision doesn’t change if only one person leaves.” Reports have circulated suggesting that United needs to offload players before it can reinforce its squad during the January transfer window. When asked if these reports were accurate, Amorim replied, “No, I’m really focused on [managing] to see my players and to understand my players. I think that is one of the problems of the club.” He further explained, “We have to focus on what we have. We have to focus on the academy and also have a clear profile when you get the players, so it’s a lot of details you have to manage.” Amorim also noted, “You can see at set-pieces, sometimes you look at our team and we are a small team compared to others.” He emphasized, “Every detail counts and we have to be very clear first in the profiles, arrange all the process, and then go to that phase of buying and selling players.” A number of players are still acclimatizing to the club, having been acquired by Amorim’s predecessor, Erik ten Hag, during the summer. Concurrently, Netherlands left-back Tyrell Malacia recently made his inaugural Premier League start since May 2023, following his recovery from knee surgery. Amorim further stated, “We have, like Ty, international players, good players, and we need time to teach them our ideas and then we will see because this is a massive club,” He continued, “We have to arrange a lot of things in our club before thinking just in buying or selling players.” Amorim concluded by saying, “There’s a lot to do, so let’s focus on improving our players, improving our academy and then see.”