Ten Hag, Ashworth, And Other Sackings Cost Manchester United, Accounts Reveal

Manchester United incurred a total cost of £14.5 million to terminate the contracts of manager Erik ten Hag, sporting director Dan Ashworth, and various members of their football staff, as revealed in the club’s latest financial accounts published on Wednesday.

This significant expense reflects the club’s ongoing struggles and the challenges faced in its management structure.

Manchester United, the 20-time champions of England, find themselves languishing in 15th place in the Premier League table after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday. With only West Ham and Wolves positioned above them, the club is perilously close to the relegation zone, highlighting a troubling period for the once-mighty team.

The hope for a ‘bounce’ in results under new manager Ruben Amorim has failed to materialize since the Portuguese boss replaced Ten Hag, who was sacked in October, just 116 days after United triggered a clause to extend the Dutchman’s contract until 2026.

A costly decision taken by minority owner Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group was compounded by the rapid exit from Old Trafford of Ashworth, who arrived from Newcastle on July 1st following lengthy talks only to leave on December 8th.

The financial expense of those decisions was laid bare in United’s results for the quarter ending December 31st under ‘exceptional items’.

“Exceptional items for the quarter were a cost of £14.5 million,” said a United press release.

“This relates to costs associated with the departure of former men’s first team manager Erik ten Hag and various members of the football staff.”

In their first-quarter results, Manchester United disclosed that the payout to Erik ten Hag and his coaching staff amounted to £10.4 million, while the departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth incurred a cost of approximately £4.1 million.