Dan Ashworth was a largely unknown figure in English football until reports came out in the media, linking him with a role at Manchester United. The Red Devils have been struggling since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, who won every trophy in sight during his time at the club, and despite several managerial changes, they have been unable to replicate that success.
It has always been suggested that United’s problems extend beyond the managerial aspect or even players, at the very least. With the Glazers having sold 25% of the club to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Dan Ashworth is set to take over as the club’s new sporting director.
Who is Dan Ashworth?
Dan Ashworth may be unfamiliar to many, but the Englishman has played a huge role in the development of the sport in England. A former player who never made it to the professional level, Ashworth began his technical role as the academy director at Peterborough United in 2000 before joining West Brom as an assistant youth manager in 2004.
Later that year, he was appointed the club’s sporting and technical director, a role he held until 2012, when he was appointed the FA director of elite development. Due to his success at West Brom, Ashworth quickly became linked with the likes of Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion in 2018 before opting for the latter in 2019.
He was responsible for turning Brighton into a force in English football, appointing Graham Potter and then Roberto De Zerbi after the former had joined Chelsea in a record-breaking deal for a manager.
He left his role in 2022 to join Newcastle United as the club’s sporting director and guided the club to Champions League football for the first time in over a decade.
Dan Ashworth linked with Manchester United
With the imminent takeover of 25% of Manchester United by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, hierarchical changes are expected to happen at the club. John Murtough, the current sporting director at Manchester United, who recently traveled to Saudi Arabia to negotiate outgoing transfers with Saudi clubs, is expected to leave his role as the club’s director, with Dan Ashworth set to take over at the helm.
Dan Ashworth is the current football director at Newcastle, and his good work at the club has been taken into account by the INEOS group, headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The announcement of the takeover is expected before the end of the year as United gear up for major changes at the club.
Fans hope the partial takeover will bring some long-overdue success to the club, as the club has struggled to compete in the Premier League for a decade now. United embarrassingly crashed out of the UCL at the group stage after another defeat to Bayern Munich a few weeks ago.
