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Man United confirms sudden resignation of Sporting Director

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Manchester United confirmed the shock departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth on Sunday, just five months after he took up the role at Old Trafford.

Ashworth’s exit was reportedly agreed after Saturday’s disappointing 3-2 home defeat to Nottingham Forest.

His appointment was seen as a major coup among sweeping changes to the Red Devils’ sporting structure made since Jim Ratcliffe bought a minority share in the English giants in December 2023.

Ashworth, 53, officially joined the club on July 1 after spending five months on gardening leave at Newcastle as Manchester United pursued their interest.

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However, the Athletic reported tensions had emerged between Ashworth and Ratcliffe over the return on the field from a near £200 million ($255 million) spending spree in the summer transfer window.

None of the new signings — Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee — have hit the ground running.

United sit 13th in the Premier League and sacked Erik ten Hag in October, just four months after extending the Dutchman’s contract.

New boss Ruben Amorim has not had an immediate impact with just one win from his first four Premier League matches.

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“Dan Ashworth will be leaving his role as sporting director of Manchester United by mutual agreement,” United said in a statement.

We would like to thank Dan for his work and support during a transitional period for the club and wish him well for the future.”

Ashworth was previously credited for implementing a structure at the Football Association that helped turn around the fortunes of the England national team.

He was then part of Brighton’s development into an established Premier League club before joining Newcastle in 2022.

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After extensive negotiations United reportedly paid compensation of £3 million to bring Ashworth to Old Trafford.

He joined a revamped leadership group with Jason Wilcox joining as technical director and Omar Berrada installed as chief executive.

Ashworth’s departure comes as the latest major embarrassment to Ratcliffe’s overhaul of a club that has fallen on hard times over the past decade.

The British billionaire, who made his fortune as founder of petrochemicals giant INEOS, said the club had become “mediocre” in a fanzine interview this week and that “difficult and unpopular decisions” needed to be made.

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Ratcliffe has also alienated fans after a controversial decision to raise ticket prices to £66 per match without concessions for children or pensioners.

AFP

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Borussia Dortmund sack struggling coach Nuri Sahin

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By Francesca Hangeior

Borussia Dortmund have fired struggling head coach Nuri Sahin after Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League loss at Bologna, saying on Wednesday they had “lost faith” in the young manager.

Finalists in the competition last season, Tuesday’s Champions League loss was the fourth in a row for Dortmund in all competitions.

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Mikel Obi arrives in Galatasaray to hold talks with Osimhen amid Nicolas Jackson’s goal drought

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Former Chelsea defensive midfielder Mikel Obi arrived in Istanbul on Monday, January 20, for showdown talks with Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen.

Osimhen’s future remains uncertain, but the striker has disclosed that he would love to end his season-long loan deal with Galatasaray.

An exit clause exists in his deal with the Turkish club, but the striker recently rejected a move to English Premier League club Manchester United.

Turkish journalist Kagan Dursun has disclosed that the Red Devils recently offered £59 million to bring the Nigerian striker to Old Trafford.

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According to him, Napoli officials travelled to Istanbul recently to secure Osimhen’s commitment to the club, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Mikel wants Osimhen at Chelsea

Meanwhile, Mikel Obi has not hidden his love for Victor Osimhen to move to join Stamford Bridge outfit Chelsea.

The club legend has been a vocal critic of striker Nicolas Jackson, who has not been convincing in front of goal.

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Last summer, Osimhen was on the verge of joining Chelsea, but negotiations collapsed in the final hours of the transfer window.

According to Football Italia, Mikel stated that he would try to convince the 26-year-old, adding that disclosing that Didier Drogba is also doing his best to ensure the deal is sorted.

He said: “I hope that Chelsea fans will finally see him come to the club. I’ll make sure I send him those text messages and calls, making sure Chelsea is his top priority.

“Didier is also speaking to him, sharing his ideas and what the club means to us. We all want to see Victor come to the club. If it happens, it happens. It’s a huge transfer fee, but if we can match it and get him to the club that would be fantastic.”

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Mikel arrives in Galatasaray training

Mikel was spotted at Galatasaray’s Florya Metin Oktay training facility, where he met with his compatriot, Victor Osimhen.

The Chelsea legend, who played for the Turkish club Trabzonspor, met the former vice president of Giresunspot Muzaffer Aygun and the owner of Titanic Hotels.

Reports suggest that he would use the opportunity to speak with Osimhen over a possible transfer to Chelsea.

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Source: www.legit.ng

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Victor Boniface ends relationship with Norwegian girlfriend, Rikke

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Nigerian international Victor Boniface has reportedly ended relationship with Norwegian girlfriend, Rikke Hermine Jensen.

The Bayer Leverkusen striker ended his four-year relationship with the Norwegian influencer as reports indicate that the pair has unfollowed each other on social media.

Their last public appearance was in May last year during Bayer Leverkusen’s historic Bundesliga title celebrations, where they were seen together.

A source told Tribuna that the relationship has not been working for some time now, and Jensen has stopped attending Bayer Leverkusen games this season.

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Yes, they were apart for Christmas, and he seemed to have a lot of fun without her. She also stopped attending his games this season. Now, they are officially done,” the source confirmed.

Boniface came down to Nigeria for Christmas and his birthday celebration last month without his partner.

Boniface and Jensen reportedly met in Norway four years ago and started dating after that.

The Bayer Leverkusen star kept their relationship private, as he barely shared details of his love life with the public.

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Source: www.mynigeria.com

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