Newcastle sporting director expected to take over at Man United
Newcastle’s sporting director Dan Ashworth looks set to make a switch to Manchester United. Ashworth previously joined the Magpies in 2022 after departing a similar role with Brighton. According to the Mail Sport, Ashworth is likely to move across England due to his ties with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s chemical company INEOS.
Ratcliffe has previously agreed to become a minority investor in the Red Devils. Although the deal is not yet officially confirmed, it is expected to finally be announced after Christmas. The businessman is forking out $1.5 billion to own a slice of the prestigious club.
Current sporting director at Red Devils set to remain with club during January
Because the move has dragged on, United’s current sporting director John Murtough will likely still be at the helm for the January transfer window. Murtough recently addressed the upcoming transfer period with the Manchester United Fans’ Forum. In the discussion, the executive claimed that the club would be fairly quiet due to current financial restrictions.
“Looking ahead to the January transfer window, we are not expecting it to be particularly busy,” Murtough told the crowd. “There will always be the possibility of deals around the edges of the squad, particularly in terms of finding opportunities for players who are not playing as much football as they would like.”
“However, we’ve always been consistent in saying that we do not see January as the optimal time to do business and our recruitment strategy remains focused on summer windows.”
Murtough also hinted that Everton’s recent 10-point deduction for violating spending laws has caught United’s attention. “We’ve seen this season that Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules have real teeth, so we have to be very careful to ensure that we remain compliant, and we will,” continued Murtough. “But that means being really disciplined on spending going forward, with a balance between incomings and outgoings.”
Manchester United wants the Dan Ashworth who changed Newcastle
United has spent big in recent seasons with Murtough at the helm, but several moves have backfired. This includes spending over $200 million on Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana, Mason Mount, and Sofyan Amrabat this past summer. The club has also shelled out serious money for Antony, Jadon Sancho, and Casemiro in recent seasons as well.
Ashworth, however, has successfully grabbed some key assets while with Newcastle. During his first full transfer window, Ashworth helped the club sign regular starters such as Alexander Isak, Nick Pope, and Sven Botman. The Magpies then also attracted Anthony Gordon, Tino Livramento, Harvey Barnes, and Sandro Tonali. The latter transfer is perhaps the lone major failure so far, but only due to the Italian’s gambling suspension.
The potential move for Ashworth would be welcomed by many Manchester United fans. After all, the club has been stagnant for quite some time now. As many of their recent transfers have not exactly worked out, the play on the pitch has subsequently suffered as well.
The Red Devils currently sit seventh in the Premier League table at the moment. The club’s biggest issue during the current campaign is scoring goals. United has only managed to score 18 goals in 17 top-flight matches. Only five other Premier League clubs have scored fewer goals. All of these teams are in the bottom six of the standings.
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