Sir Jim Ratcliffe dealt Man United blow as Newcastle United man responds to Old Trafford approach

Manchester United has shown interest in Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth.

As things stand, Dan Ashworth is reportedly unwilling to leave Newcastle United despite Manchester United, a rival team in the Premier League, showing interest in him.

Having recently acquired a twenty-five percent share in the Red Devils, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group is now in charge of football operations at Old Trafford.

Sir Dave Brailsford, a performance director and cycling legend, has been brought in by Ratcliffe to assist with a boardroom makeover of Man United. The Independent reports that an eight-week audit is in progress to determine whether they require a director of football and a sporting director, or just one position to be filled.

“Some primary targets have still been sounded out for roles,” it is said. The article mentioned Ashworth, former Liverpool officials Michael Edwards and Julian Ward, and Paul Mitchell, the sporting director of Monaco; however, there seems to be less concern about Ashworth leaving.

Because of the size of his role at St. James’ Park, Ashworth “is currently reluctant to go to Old Trafford,” according to the Independent. According to them “it is understood the Manchester club would have to go very high with a financial offer and well-defined terms to tempt him.”

After securing Champions League qualification the previous season, Ashworth left Brighton and Hove Albion to become the sporting director of the Magpies in the summer of 2022. Since then, he has overseen significant changes both on and off the field.

The connections between Ashworth and Manchester United first surfaced in December. The former technical director of England and Brailsford have a long history together; prior to the 2022–23 Premier League season, Brailsford hosted a presentation in front of the Newcastle team in Portugal.

The great Gary Neville of Manchester United recently mentioned that Ashworth would be a good fit for the Red Devils after running into him at Newcastle’s Carabao Cup third-round 3-0 victory.

In a November sit-down interview at the team’s Benton training ground, Neville showered Ashworth with praise and downplayed rumors that he was being lured away from Tyneside.

“To start with, I saw Gary right away as he was heading down the tunnel and entering the directors’ box. I yelled “hello,” and that was it, Ashworth recalled. There was no conversation between Gary and me. I’ve known him and Phil (Neville) since their time in England. Thank you, Gary; he has written some very kind things.

However, I believe the circumstances are the same as Eddie Howe’s. I’m overjoyed; the city, club, and project are all excellent. I’m fully engrossed in tackling each of those tasks and finding the challenge to be enjoyable.”