Dan Ashworth: Manchester United face battle to appoint Newcastle sporting director

Manchester United want to hire Newcastle’s sporting director Dan Ashworth.

The move would be part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s plans to revamp United as he closes in on securing a 25 per cent stake in the club.

Ratcliffe’s purchase of a 25 per cent stake has received FA and Premier League approval, with the takeover due to be ratified and announced in the coming days.

Ratcliffe intends to take charge of the football operations despite the Glazer family retaining their majority 75 per cent holding, and has already begun making his mark at Old Trafford.

Omar Berrada has been poached as the new chief executive from rivals Manchester City. Berrada and INEOS’ director of sport, Sir Dave Brailsford, will be on a new-look board alongside CEO Jean-Claude Blanc.

Ashworth is also a target for United, who want the 52-year-old to become their sporting director.

Ashworth is regarded as one of the top executives in the game and is especially revered for his work in player recruitment, which is an area United need to improve.

He has been at Newcastle since 2022 and remains under contract there, meaning he could be hard to hire.

Ashworth rose to fame following his stint at the Football Association, where he spent six years working from 2012 to 2018 as their technical director.

England’s youth teams excelled at that time and the Under-17 side was crowned world champions in 2017.

Ashworth left the FA in 2018 to join Brighton before being poached by Newcastle four years later.