Ruben Amorim reacts to Dan Ashworth's shock Man Utd exit | OneFootball

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has spoken publicly for the first time since Dan Ashworth's shock departure just five months after starting his job as sporting director.

Ashworth was in attendance as United lost against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, immediately after which a meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada is reported to have sealed his fate. The former FA executive unusually cut through the press conference room immediately after the final whistle, apparently a route from the directors' box to Berrada's office.

News of the split didn't emerge until Sunday morning, followed by confirmation from the club.

When Amorim spoke at a pre-match conference on Wednesday night ahead of facing Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League, it was his first time facing the media since.

"The first thing I want to say since the first day I felt great support from the ownership, from Omar, from them also, from [technical director] Jason [Wilcox], and Dan was part of that. I really, really, really [received] support from Dan also," Amorim said.

Dan Ashworth has been an early casualty of the INEOS era / Michael Regan/GettyImages

"But this is football and sometimes this happens, happens with players, with coaches, I know it's not the best situation but the important thing is we continue in our way. The path is really clear for everybody and I think this can happen in football.

"Of course, it's a bad situation. We are talking about a human being, a professional, that supports us as a team but I think the most important thing is the vision is really clear and that doesn't change if one person leaves."

Ashworth was employed as the Red Devils' first ever sporting director, poached from Newcastle United earlier this year and ultimately spending as long on gardening leave waiting to start work at Old Trafford as he lasted in the job.

Reporting on the situation since his swift exit implied friction with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, as well as struggles to integrate with the rest of the new sporting hierarchy amid suggestions that Amorim wasn't on his radar to replace Erik ten Hag and was a deal conducting by Berrada instead.