- 10 hours ago
INEOS ‘deserve credit’ after making €45m signing Man Utd didn’t want
Robin Bairner
- 22 Feb 2025 10:32 GMT
- 4 min read
Manchester United owners INEOS ‘deserve credit’ for their reaction to the summer transfer market and in particular the club’s controversial signing of Matthijs de Ligt, according to a highly respected journalist.
The Red Devils spent more than €200 million in the summer building a side that they thought was going to be competitive, yet they now find themselves deep in the lower half of the Premier League table and enduring a torturous season.
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo slammed after Al-Nassr 'disasterclass': He needs sold!
Current ETV
Matthijs de Ligt
D (CR)
Man Utd
Matthijs de Ligt
D (CR)
Man Utd
ETV Range
€47.1M - €57.6M
The failed transfer policy of the club is partially to blame for these troubles, with sporting director Dan Ashworth losing his post at the club infamously quickly after Man Utd fought to lure him from Newcastle for €6m (£5m).
It was revealed this week that sacking Ashworth cost the Old Trafford club around €5m, but while this was undoubtedly a failed appointment, ESPN correspondent Mark Ogden claims it was a smart move on the part of INEOS to sack a key member of their backroom staff who wasn’t functioning.
“There are two ways you can look at the Dan Ashworth situation,” he said. “My view is that they hired the wrong guys for the wrong job. Dan Ashworth is known for building clubs; he’s not a sporting director. He’s not a guy who’ll pick up a phone to people wherever to find a player and offload a player. It’s a different role.”
READ MORE: Man Utd issue formal SACK warning
"The club didn't want Mathijs de Ligt!"
ESPN's @MarkOgden_ says INEOS deserve credit for the departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/c10HLB7cy5— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) February 20, 2025
De Ligt a player Man Utd didn't want
Ogden picked out the deal that brought De Ligt from Bayern Munich as a particularly important deal for INEO’s decision to sack Ashworth.
He said: “Man Utd didn’t want Matthijs de Ligt. That was driven through by Erik ten Hag. Despite the fact they felt they were well stocked with centre-backs, United or Dan Ashworth felt because they’d just given Ten Hag a new contract they had to show faith in him by signing a player he wanted.
“You can say that was a weakness in Dan Ashworth’s part. He should not have given that the green light.
“The flip side is that Joshua Zirkzee was a signing driven by Dan Ashworth and the recruitment team. His first window wasn’t great, so maybe having made the wrong appointment, you have to give INEOS credit for getting rid of him.”
Man Utd have yet to appoint a successor to Ashworth as sporting director, with Jason Wilcox taking the lead on transfers during January.
