Dan Ashworth is ‘the right man for Manchester United’ with the Premier League giants hoping to snatch the highly-rated technical director away from Newcastle.
Less than two months after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25 per cent takeover of the Old Trafford outfit was confirmed – on Christmas Eve, no less – the speed and the decisiveness Ineos have demonstrated since taking control of matters on and off the pitch are making quite the mockery of the endless pontificating of the Glazer era.
In just seven weeks, Manchester United have overhauled their behind-the-scenes staff with a series of genuinely ‘best-in-class’ appointments. See Omar Berrada, Jean-Claude Blanc and potentially Dan Ashworth too, the latter expected to arrive from rivals Newcastle after being impressed by the way Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Sir Dave Brailsford and co have stamped their authority on a club released from the shackles of those blood-sucking Floridians.
Manchester United urged to seal Dan Ashworth deal
“With Ashworth, they would have a man who is so in tune with player recruitment in the Premier League,” Stan Collymore, the former England striker, tells Caught Offside. “A man who has knowledge of the basement market, by which I mean going out and finding players such as Kaoru Mitoma when he was at Brighton.
“Someone who knows the intermediate market, in which he is turning Newcastle into a team that will consistently be competing in Europe. He understands the Premier League from top to bottom.
“In my opinion, he is the best in the business at the moment. And I think he is the right man for Manchester United.”
Ashworth, before arriving at Newcastle in 2022, played a major role in Brighton’s emergence as one of the most forward-thinking, well-run clubs in Europe. The 52-year-old also helped lay the foundations for England’s revival at international level during his time with the Football Association.
It remains to be seen whether Ashworth will be handed control over recruitment or, instead, a more wide-ranging role overseeing the whole club. It seems more likely to be the latter than the former, with United also having been linked with Paul Jewell – Brighton’s head of recruitment – and Southampton director Jason Wilcox.
Newcastle director to join Berrada and Brailsford
“The coaches at Man United will have no excuses once everything at Manchester club is in place,” Collymore adds, Ashworth’s likely arrival presenting Erik ten Hag with some much-needed support while simultaneously increasing the pressure to perform.
“The Red Devils will have Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Sir Dave Brailsford, Omar Berrada as their new CEO and Dan Ashworth all working towards bringing success back to the Premier League giants. These are the best in the business, and they know what they are doing.
“However, they still need to acquire the Newcastle sporting director. And, in my opinion, they should get him at all costs and give him what he needs to do his job to full effect.”
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