Former Manchester United right-back Gary Neville expects Dan Ashworth to be given the authority to make his mark at Old Trafford should the club succeed in attracting him from his current role as Newcastle United sporting director.
After making his name as the FA's director of elite development, Ashworth resigned from that post in 2018 to become Brighton and Hove Albion's technical director. His successes at the Amex attracted the attention of the newly-moneyed Newcastle United in February 2022, with the Magpies moving to appoint him as sporting director.
Another move could now be on the cards following Sir Jim Ratcliffe's partial takeover of Manchester United, with reports suggesting the new 25 per cent owner has extended an offer to Ashworth to come in and oversee something of a revolution that they hope will put United back on their perch after a decade of underachievement.
On the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Neville gave his reaction to the news, saying, “I couldn’t believe it when Dan Ashworth left the FA and went to Brighton as that didn’t seem a step up, but then we saw what he did there, and then Newcastle United is a step up and what he’s done there in terms of managing expectations.
“I’m not saying Dan is going to be a success at Manchester United, but if you’ve got the guy in from Manchester City (Omar Berrada) and now Dan Ashworth, at least you’ve got people in roles that belong, as they’ve not had that in the last 10 years.
“If Dan does come in, I do think there’s a chance that the performance mentality will improve, the mentality that they do have, could run through the club quite quickly.
“I’ve no doubt that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is trusting in Sir Dave Brailsford in finding the best CEO, the best sporting director, the best head of recruitment and the best coach.
"It looks like they’ve got the first two, and the two yet to be sorted is the head of recruitment and the best coach, but they’re doing it one by one. I suspect that if Dan Ashworth comes in, he’ll want authority at the club to be able to make decisions.”
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