Dan Ashworth was placed on gardening leave by Newcastle United back in February, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a part-owner of Manchester United, has refused to pay to end the sporting director’s lengthy notice period.
In the midst of Manchester United’s prolonged standoff with Newcastle United over Dan Ashworth, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has conceded that he is being forced to take “some unpopular” decisions.
Sir Jim has terminated his home office employment in an attempt to invigorate the Manchester United training facility, pointing out the ‘high degree of untidiness’ there, which includes the ‘disgraceful’ IT department. Sir Jim warned staff that, in a departure from convention, they would be responsible for paying for their own transport to the FA Cup final, and non-football staff members were invited to take redundancy if they did not wish to work in the office.
After years of extravagant spending at the club, corporate restructuring company Interpath Advisory was also brought in a few months ago to manage a significant cost-cutting push. The fact that Manchester United has been hesitant to pay Ashworth after Newcastle put the sporting director on gardening leave in February may not come as a major surprise, but the Magpies are adamant about their higher price.
Knowing what Brighton had to pay Newcastle to acquire Ashworth, Sir Jim had earlier called the black-and-whites’ initial demands of up to £20 million “silly.” The Manchester United co-owner called it “absurd” that Ashworth might miss the entire season if the Red Devils failed to produce.
A lot of people on Tyneside were upset by Sir Jim’s remarks and the way Manchester United pursued Ashworth, even before Newcastle was formally notified. But you get the impression that the millionaire was unfazed by that.
“I have to do some things at Manchester United that are not popular,” he said to Bloomberg. “But in a way, I’m glad to do it in a political setting.
In the end, facing challenges and a certain amount of unpopularity in a humorous way may actually increase your popularity since others will perceive that you’re making tough choices rather than letting things happen to you. I’m not sure. Time will tell.
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