Dan Ashworth’s relationship with Arsenal managing director Richard Garlick could see him enter the frame for the sporting director role at the north London club.

Ashworth was sacked as Manchester United’s sporting director this weekend, just 159 days after starting the job, having failed to gel with the club’s new hierarchy.

Arsenal are in the process of recruiting a new sporting director following Edu Gaspar’s resignation last month.

Garlick, owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and executive vice-chair Tim Lewis are leading the recruitment process, with strong input from manager Mikel Arteta.

Garlick and Ashworth previously worked closely together at West Bromwich Albion and are believed to have enjoyed a strong working relationship.

It remains to be seen what direction Arsenal will choose to take in their pursuit of a new sporting director, though, with assistant sporting director Jason Ayto currently stepping up on an interim basis following Edu’s departure. Ayto is a candidate to take the role on a permanent basis.

Meanwhile, Arsenal full-back Kieran Tierney could make his first appearance for the club since August last year amid a defensive injury crisis at the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta is without injured defenders Gabriel Magalhães, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White, while neither Jurrien Timber nor Thomas Partey trained on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League match against Monaco.

Tierney spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad and suffered a serious hamstring injury while playing for Scotland at the European Championship.

Tierney is not thought to feature prominently in Arteta’s long-term plans but he may be needed in the coming weeks, with the Arsenal manager saying he is now ready for action.

“Yeah, he is ready and he is training really well and he is going to have an opportunity for sure with the way the team is looking at the moment,” said Arteta.

“It’s for that reason and because he has earned it as well with the way he has behaved and the way he has been with us. He is willing to do it and, when that happens, you have to give opportunities to those kinds of players.”

In the 2022/23 season, Arteta often deployed Tierney in an inverted full-back position, which required the Scotland international to move into midfield, rather than in his usual overlapping role.

Arteta appeared to suggest that he regretted making Tierney play in this unfamiliar role, saying: “I would put Kieran more in his strengths. If we do what we have to do. I would play him in positions, especially in attack, in situations and scenarios and spaces that he is more comfortable with. That’s a learning.”

Arteta suggested that Arsenal could dip into the transfer market in January if their defensive injuries do not ease.

“The window that gives us an opportunity to strengthen the team if we feel that is needed and we feel that we have the capacity to do that as well,” said Arteta. “We are on it and just have to assess the situation because it is changing every week. At the moment, not for the better. But I’m positive that in a few weeks we’re going to be in a better place.”