Sir Jim Ratcliffe was reportedly left ‘furious’ with Dan Ashworth just weeks before the latter departed his role at Manchester United.

Ashworth joined the Red Devils as their sporting director five months ago but has now left the club. A meeting was reportedly held on Saturday night which resulted in the 53-year-old’s departure being agreed.

It is said there was a recognition that things had not worked out for Ashworth during his short spell at Old Trafford. The news of his departure comes as a surprise, given the lengths United went to in their efforts to poach him from Newcastle.

Last month, it was reported by Mail+ that Ratcliffe and Ashworth were not seeing eye-to-eye behind the scenes. The INEOS chief was said to have been ‘furious’ that his sporting director insisted on sticking with Erik ten Hag during the summer.

The decision to back the Dutchman fell flat as he went on to oversee United’s worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign. He was relieved of his duties at the end of October, with Ruben Amorim replacing him during the November international break.

It remains to be seen how United will proceed following Ashworth’s exit, with staff thought to be stunned given his prominent role in trying to rebuild the club after years of steady decline.

United were reportedly the instigators behind the decision to part ways with Ashworth, but the club are said to have insisted it was a mutual process.

Ashworth had been placed in charge of football performance and player recruitment, with Jason Wilcox reporting to him as technical director. He was involved in a summer of heavy spending as United tried to rebuild their squad with several big-money signings.

The likes of Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee all joined the Red Devils, who spent around £200million in total. Ashworth was quoted on the confirmation of each deal, highlighting his role in bringing them in.

Ratcliffe publicly praised Ashworth before his arrival at Old Trafford earlier this year, saying: “Dan Ashworth is clearly one of the top sporting directors in the world. I have no doubt he is a very capable person.

“He is interested in Manchester United because it’s the biggest challenge at the biggest club in the world. It would be different at City because you’re maintaining a level. Here, it’s a significant rebuilding job. He would be a very good addition.”