Man Utd wins Newcastle's sporting director

Director of Sport Dan Ashworth is set to leave Newcastle to take up the same role at Old Trafford.

The Daily Mail reported on February 15 that Man Utd agreed to pay compensation to break the contract between Ashworth and Newcastle. The two clubs are likely to complete the transfer of the Sports Director next week.

Dan Ashworth (left) shakes hands with Newcastle manager Eddie Howe in 2022 after joining as sporting director. Photo: Newcastle — Dan Ashworth (left) shakes hands with Newcastle manager Eddie Howe in 2022 after joining as sporting director. Photo: *Newcastle*

Ashworth has been working for Newcastle since February 2022, but has not received the power he wanted. This reason, along with the attraction of the project at Man Utd and a personal relationship with INEOS's sporting director, Sir Dave Brailsford, prompted Ashworth to join Old Trafford.

INEOS is close to completing the purchase of a 25% stake in Man Utd. According to the Daily Mail , the group's owner, billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, considers Ashworth to be the number one expert in the field of player transfers. The billionaire also prioritizes player transfers, above the reconstruction of Old Trafford and Carrington training ground.

Ashworth is the second director that Ratcliffe has taken from his rivals to Man Utd, after recruiting Omar Berrada from Man City as General Director.

Ashworth was a youth player for Norwich City, before playing for a number of smaller clubs and retiring in 2000. He worked as Academy Director for Peterborough United and Cambridge United, before joining West Brom, where he was youth team coach from 2004 to 2007 and Director of Football from 2007 to 2012.

From 2012 to 2018, Ashworth served as the Football Association's Director of Development, where he was part of the "England DNA" player development plan aimed at creating elite-level teams.

In 2018, he moved to Brighton as sporting director. He signed players who later became stars such as Alexis Mac Allister, Leandro Trossard, Moises Caicedo, Evan Ferguson, Kaoru Mitoma, and Marc Cucurella.

Ashworth moved to Newcastle as sporting director in February 2022. He has brought players to St James' Park including Nick Pope, Sven Botman, Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, Tino Livramento and Harvey Barnes.

Thanh Quy (according to Daily Mail )

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