Dan Ashworth gives verdict on Manchester United squad after 'brave' decision
It was a busy summer at Man Utd and this is what Dan Ashworth thinks of the first-team squad.
Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth says he is pleased with the transfer business the club did in the summer window and praised the ‘brave’ decision to sell so many players.
United secured five major first-team signings during the summer, while they also moved on a number of senior players in a manner rarely see in recent years.
The club feel they have not only signed players who will bring an immediate improvement to the squad in key positions, but they are also exciting young talent who all have their best years ahead of them.
Ashworth admits there is no such thing as a 'perfect' transfer window but he I'd very happy with the business he has overseen so far. "I like the squad, I have to say. I probably would say that after the business we’ve done in the summer!
"I’ve probably done 25 windows now and been doing this for a fair period of time. I don’t think there’s ever been a window where we’ve gone, ‘Oh God, it’s gone absolutely perfectly, we’ve done every single in, we’ve done every single out we wanted to do’. There are always bits. But in the main, the target positions we wanted to strengthen, the players we’ve brought in, the depth and options when everybody is fully fit that Erik has, and we have as a club, I’m pleased with that, yeah."
United sold eight senior players during the summer, while another four were released and Jadon Sancho was loaned to Premier League rivals Chelsea. Ten Hag’s squad depth will be put to the test when United begin their Europa League campaign later this month and Ashworth has praised the decision to trim the fat on their first-team squad ahead of another gruelling campaign.
He added: “From my point of view, sometimes you have to be quite brave and make decisions that maybe you don’t want to make, and you’re also dealing with players that ultimately want to play football. So you want to make sure that the squad is lean, but you have enough depth. The schedule, especially with the new Europa League format, et cetera, is pretty punishing. So we want to make sure we’ve got enough depth that we don’t carry a bloated squad and we’re able to keep the players with the motivation and thought that they’ve got a chance of playing. “If you run with too big a squad, it can cause problems. So you have to sometimes make some brave decisions on that.”