Philadelphia Union caretaker coach John Hackworth says it was his decision to axe scouting director Diego Gutierrez and youth academy director Alecko Eskandarian late last week.

The pair were shown the door after a decision made by Hackworth, who is yet to be confirmed as permanent coach.

"The minute that (Union CEO and managing partner) Nick Sakiewicz hired me as team manager he gave me final decision," Hackworth told philly.com.

"Long story short this was ultimately my decision…we have a lot of skill sets within our current staff and with the changes and workload its going to be a big challenge for all of us."