Manchester United want Newcastle chief Dan Ashworth - but who is he and why is he so in demand?
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth is being hotly tipped to join Manchester United as part of INEOS' reshuffling.
New co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford are said to have made the 52-year-old their number-one choice for the inaugural role at Old Trafford.
Current football director, John Murtagh, has been at the club since 2015 with questions currently surrounding his position.
Who is Manchester United target Dan Ashworth?
Dan Ashworth with Eddie Howe (Image credit: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Dan Ashworth, 52, joined the Magpies from Brighton and Hove Albion back in May 2022 but did not start until June due to relevant Premier League approval processes.
Overseeing recruitment and the overall football operations in the northeast, Ashworth is an experienced organiser and has fulfilled a number of high-profile executive roles in professional football.
He was previously sporting and technical director at West Bromwich Albion, and director of elite development at the Football Association.
Who did Dan Ashworth play for?
Dan Ashworth's playing career was unspectacular (Image credit: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Ashworth spent large parts of his youth career at Norwich City. He then joined non-league club Eastbourne Town, playing 21 games and scoring four goals.
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The former defender also turned out for St. Leonards and Wisbech Town, with Ashworth leaving the latter in 2000.
A keen eye for detail
Ashworth was behind some of Brighton's biggest deals (Image credit: Getty Images)
A popular and well-thought-of member of staff with the Seagulls, Ashworth is said to have played a key role in Brighton's success stories involving Tariq Lamptey, Jakub Moder and Marc Cucurella.
According to a report via Analytics FC, over three seasons and six transfer windows, Ashworth brought 22 players to the club, while 30 players have left. The incomings cost £157.46 million with £89.76 million being brought in through sales, leading to a net spend of £67.7 million.
Keen to promote youth and young talent, Ashworth recruited from countries such as Switzerland, Poland and the Czech Republic during his time at the Amex Stadium.
What do people say about him?
Graham Potter spoke highly of Ashworth (Image credit: Getty)
Graham Potter, who spent many years working with Ashworth at Brighton, praised the effort and commitment he showed during their spell with the Seagulls.
“His role was about connecting the club,” Potter said back in 2022. “It was about using the academy, the recruitment department, analysis…all the different spokes of the wheel, shall we say, and connecting the club in a good way.
“From a head coach’s perspective, he was there to support and, at times, challenge and to help with anything, really. He was always there for that.
“He was very efficient, very intelligent. Good at his job.”
Bio: Matthew is a freelance journalist and has currently racked up bylines for Manchester United, Manchester Evening News, GOAL and SPORTbible to name a few. A long-term sufferer of Scunthorpe United, he currently resides in the north-west after escaping the smog of North Lincolnshire.
