Man Utd plotting major Newcastle United swoop before Dan Ashworth U-turn

Sporting director Dan Ashworth had reportedly drawn up a four-man shortlist of potential candidates for the role at Old Trafford, and it didn’t include successful candidate Ruben Amorim.

Following confirmation of Ashworth’s departure from Manchester United, it has been claimed that the club seemingly went against the sporting director’s advice to appoint Amorim from Sporting CP.

Ashworth’s shortlist, reported by The Sun, included four managers with Premier League experience and two he had worked with previously. Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe was on that shortlist alongside Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Fulham’s Marco Silva.

Former Brighton & Hove Albion boss Graham Potter was also proposed as a potential interim option. Ashworth was sporting director at Newcastle when Howe signed a new long-term deal at the club in 2023 that would require a significant compensation fee to release him.

Manchester United paid Newcastle a seven-figure sum to release Ashworth from his contract but he lasted just five months at Old Trafford.

A statement issued by the club read: “Dan Ashworth will be leaving his role as sporting director of Manchester United by mutual agreement. We would like to thank Dan for his work and support during a transitional period for the club and wish him well for the future.”

While the official statement claims a ‘mutual’ departure, it has been reported that Manchester United ‘instigated the separation’. Days after his departure, Ashworth has already been linked with the vacant sporting director’s position at Arsenal.