Man United 'email staff' to confirm Dan Ashworth replacement ahead of January transfer window

The Red Devils announced last weekend that Ashworth had left the club, just five months after arriving as sporting director.

Ashworth's relationship with CEO Omar Berrada is believed to have broken down in recent weeks, with the former said to be against the idea of Ruben Amorim arriving as Man United's new head coach.

Gareth Southgate had allegedly been identified by Ashworth as the ideal manager to replace Erik ten Hag, but Berrada pushed for Amorim, with the Portuguese being confirmed as Man United's new boss last month.

Atletico Madrid's Andrea Berta and Paris Saint-Germain's Luis Campos have been linked with moves to Old Trafford as Ashworth's replacement, but it was reported on Wednesday that the club had decided to ditch the sporting director role.

Wilcox 'to step into Ashworth's shoes' at Man United

According to the Daily Mail, Man United sent an email to staff on Wednesday confirming that Wilcox would step into the role leading into the January transfer window, with the technical director now 'the point of contact for the scouting department'.

The report claims that interim director of recruitment Christopher Vivell is also set to take on a bigger role at the club after Ashworth's exit, with minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe making the final decision when it came to the Englishman's future.

Wilcox has allegedly been in charge of a deal for Diego Leon, with the 17-year-old's arrival from Cerro Porteno expected to be confirmed in the near future, although he will not move to Old Trafford until the end of the campaign.

Will Man United make any January signings?

Man United are expected to be active in January despite financial limitations, with a senior left-back potentially arriving, while there have been suggestions that a striker could be signed if the right opportunity arrives.

Speaking on Wednesday at his press conference to preview the Europa League contest with Viktoria Plzen, head coach Amorim said that his side could boost their squad in the winter market.

"It's a new idea, a new coach. Sometimes I have one idea in the first week, second week I have a different idea and then we have to see what happens so everything is so close. All the games during the opening of the window of January, I really don't know. I'm just focused on improving the team, I cannot think further than the next game," he told reporters.

"Like any other team, when the window is open we can do something but our focus is to win games, we have to have this feeling of winning and we have to start tomorrow."

Amorim also called Ashworth's exit "a bad situation", with the 53-year-old's departure coming as a shock considering Man United's desire to bring him in as a key part of the INEOS project.

Written by

Matt Law