Dan Ashworth is Manchester United’s first choice (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Should Dan Ashworth decide to leave Newcastle United for Manchester United, you can bet that Sir Alex Ferguson will be delighted.
The 52-year-old is believed to be keen on joining the Red Devils in order to become the club’s inaugural sporting director.
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe now at the helm, the British billionaire is wasting no time in rearranging the structure at Old Trafford.
Omar Berrada has already agreed to join from Manchester City and Ratcliffe wants a sporting director to oversee all football operations.
Ashworth is United’s first choice and should he decide to leave Newcastle, the Red Devils will have to pay a significant compensation fee and wait for him to complete a prolonged period of gardening leave.
But, with Ashworth viewed as the best in the business, it will be worth the wait and it’s clear that Ferguson endorses the move.
Alex Ferguson has endorsed a move for Ashworth (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
According to the Athletic, Ferguson told former CEO Richard Arnold to hire Ashworth before he completed a move to Newcastle from Brighton.
Arnold, who had appointed Darren Fletcher and John Murtough in a new football structure, spoke to Ashworth about a move to Old Trafford.
But Ashworth was only offered a position below Murtough as head of football, and wanted far more control in order to move to Old Trafford.
That is no longer the case, with Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford laying out a clear plan for how they want to operate from top to bottom.
Ferguson oversaw recruitment during his 26 years at Old Trafford but his departure saw United loosen the purse strings.
But United’s recruitment has largely been dismal since 2013, leading Ratcliffe to decide a sporting director is needed.
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