Roy Keane reaction speaks volumes after Man Utd axed £3m man following crisis meeting

 Roy Keane has questioned why Dan Ashworth was only given a few months at the helm of Manchester United. After an extended period of gardening leave at St. James' Park, Sir Jim Ratcliffe appointed the 54-year-old as the club's new sporting director in the summer of 2024.

United forked out about £3m for his signature, following exhaustive negotiations with Newcastle United. Mirror Football understands that Ashworth had informed the Magpies about his desire to join the Red Devils a few months prior, but a deal wasn't agreed until July.

It was thought that the British billionaire was a big admirer, having publicly applauded his work at the start of the year. Ratcliffe described Ashworth as 'one of the top sporting directors in the world', adding that he would be a 'very good addition'.

The former FA technical director eventually joined United's new-look boardroom as part of a wider restructure.

Despite coughing up a seven-figure fee for a cherry-picked expert, Ashworth was only given five months in the hot seat.

During his spell at Old Trafford, United splashed £200m on five new players: Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui, Mattijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee. Many of those would have been tailored to Erik ten Hag, who was sacked in October.

Mirror Football understands that Ashworth parted ways with United following a crisis meeting with Omar Berrada. It followed a disappointing 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe himself was pivotal in the decision, which was 'instigated by United' despite an official statement claiming his departure was mutual.

Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, Keane noted Ashworth's premature exit as he questioned some of the club's decision-making.

Ian Wright got the ball rolling. On United, the Arsenal legend said: "You have to start somewhere. You can't see the end. Jason Wilcox – he was the technical director, now he's the sporting director – so Man United are just promoting...

"Why don't they just go out and get a top director of football. [Manchester] City wouldn't do that. Arsenal wouldn't do that."

Keane chimed in: "But United did do that, didn't they, with Dan Ashworth."

Wright replied: "And what happened to him? They have to go again."

Keane, who was bemused by the situation at United, said: "How many months was he there, Dan? Did they wait a couple of years for him? They paid big compensation, and he's out the door."

Jamie Carragher threw his hat in the ring, suggesting there's a culture problem at Old Trafford. The former Liverpool defender said: "Manchester United, they are the club in this country that have probably the most eyes on them, the most media on them.

"And we say you're not a Manchester United player if you can't deal with that. They're not a Manchester United player straight away. They almost have to grow into being a Manchester United player."

Carragher then added: "It feels like so many players at United leave and – I don't say they go and be amazing, world-class players, but you think they do a lot better somewhere else than they do at United."