Dan Ashworth Responds to Man Utd sporting Director Links

Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth appears to have little intention of leaving the club amid high praise from Gary Neville and speculation that he could be poached by Manchester United to the same job once Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25% buy-in is complete.

Ashworth is widely regarded as one of the best sporting directors in the Premier League. He made his name at West Bromwich Albion 15 years ago, before a transformative stint as the FA’s director of elite development and then playing a huge role in Brighton & Hove Albion’s growth.

Now 52, he was hired by Newcastle last year and has overseen the newly megarich club’s rapid resurgence through smart recruitment and measured spending.

Neville, who was part of the England coaching staff when Ashworth was at the FA, spoke glowingly about the sporting director in the wake of Newcastle’s Carabao Cup win over Manchester United last week, hinting he is exactly the type of person the Old Trafford club is crying out for.

“On my way up to the gantry last night I bumped into Dan Ashworth,” Neville posted on social media the morning after the game. “He transformed the FA’s structure, set Brighton up for this incredible period of success and has now built a strong foundation for the new owners at Newcastle.

“He’s competent, highly qualified and knows what he’s doing. Will work with his coach, recruitment team and other departments coherently and calmly. In the last two matches Manchester United have played two clubs that have installed proper football departments to support the team on the pitch and off it. The complete opposite of United. We haven’t got a sporting director!”