Dan Ashworth spent almost as long on gardening leave, waiting to be appointed Manchester United's sporting director, as he did in the role itself. That alone underlines the sense of chaos and muddled thinking at United under co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, with Ashworth having left his position after just five months. Ratcliffe hailed Ashworth as "one of the top sporting directors in the world", with United paying Newcastle around £3million to secure his services back in the summer. The 53-year-old