One of the most successful sporting directors in recent years, Dan Ashworth had a hand in Brighton & Hove Albion's Premier League rise into a side now competing on the European stage before helping to take Newcastle United into the Champions League last season. Now, as Manchester United attempt to get back to their best – this time with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's help – it's no surprise that the Red Devils have reportedly turned to the 52-year-old, who is now on gardening leave at St James' Park.
But what came before Newcastle and Brighton? How much does Ashworth earn at St James' Park? And who have been his most successful signings? Take a closer look at the man who could soon be on the way to Old Trafford.
Dan Ashworth to Man Utd news
It's not much of a shock that Ratcliffe wants to welcome Ashworth to fix Manchester United's alarming problems. According to reports, Newcastle's sporting director has even agreed terms with the Red Devils over a deal, though the Red Devils still need to strike an agreement with Newcastle. Gary Neville is certainly a fan of the sporting director, meanwhile, previously posting on X:
According to Henry Winter, Ashworth is well-suited to United, but Newcastle will not let him go cheaply due to just how good he is. The Red Devils, meanwhile, could benefit from Ashworth's links away from the pitch, with reports suggesting that he could work alongside Southampton's Jason Wilcox and Brighton's head of scouting, Sam Jewell.
Dan Ashworth at Newcastle
It also comes as no surprise that Newcastle desperately want to keep hold of Ashworth. After all, he played a large part in building Eddie Howe's squad into a top-four side last season, having welcomed the likes of Alexander Isak and Sven Botman in the last couple of years.
The sporting director didn't enjoy his best work last summer, it must be said, as he welcomed Sandro Tonali in a big-money deal, only for the Italian to be hit with a ten-month ban for breaching betting rules at Milan. What's more, Harvey Barnes also arrived before suffering with injury problems, while Lewis Hall has struggled to break into Howe's side.
Nonetheless, Ashworth's time at Newcastle has at least featured more hits than misses.
2022/23
Alexander Isak
Real Sociedad
£60m
2023/24
Sandro Tonali
Milan
£55m
2022/23
Anthony Gordon
Everton
£39m
2023/24
Harvey Barnes
Leicester City
£38m
2022/23
Sven Botman
Lille
£32m
2023/24
Tino Livramento
Chelsea
£32m
2022/23
Matt Targett
Aston Villa
£15m
2022/23
Nick Pope
Burnley
£10m
2023/24
Yankuba Minteh
Odense BK
£7m
2022/23
Harrison Ashby
West Ham United
£3m
2022/23
Garang Kuol
Central Coast Mariners
£300k
2023/24
Lewis Hall
Chelsea
Loan
2022/23
Loris Karius
n/a
Free
If he does make the move, United fans will be hoping to see players of a similar calibre complete a move to Old Trafford. For now, it is the Magpies who will continue to benefit from Ashworth's expertise, however.
Dan Ashworth gardening leave
Ashworth has now been placed on gardening leave by Newcastle after he told the club he wanted to join Manchester United. After leaving the Amex for the Magpies in February 2022, the sporting director had to serve three months of gardening leave before officially joining Newcastle in May.
If United do secure his signature before the summer transfer window, they will reportedly have to pay a fee in the region of £10m.
Dan Ashworth career
After a fairly average career as a non-league player, Ashworth became a PE teacher and eventually took his first steps into football at Peterborough United, where he took up the role of academy manager all the way back in January 2000. However, it is worth noting that this role did not last long, with the 52-year-old quickly taking up a position as director of Cambridge United's youth department from 2001 until 2004.
Working his way up, Ashworth then found himself at West Bromwich Albion, where he became their academy manager before taking up his first sporting director position from 2007 to 2013 at The Hawthorns. What came next could still be a career highlight, as he accepted a role as director of development at England. From teaching PE, Ashworth had made it into the England setup by 2013, where he stayed until becoming Brighton & Hove Albion's technical director in 2019.
It was at the Amex when people really began to take note of Ashworth's work, as Brighton went from relegation contenders to a side causing upsets and rising into the Premier League's top half, all whilst using a profitable business model.
Moises Caicedo to Chelsea
£24m
£100m
Marc Cucurella to Chelsea
£15m
£56m
Ben White to Arsenal
Free
£51m
Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool
£8m
£36m
Yves Bissouma to Tottenham Hotspur
£15m
£25m
Attracting Newcastle, Ashworth stepped into the sporting director role at St James' Park in 2022, playing a part in their Champions League qualification with his work off the pitch last season.
Dan Ashworth salary & net worth
Ashworth's Newcastle salary reportedly sits at £1.5m, meaning that he won't come cheap for United, with a fee needed to secure his services from Newcastle on top of that. It is worth noting, however, that he is not someone who is motivated by money, previously saying via The Times' Winter: “I’ve never been money-driven, it’s got nothing to do with that, I left West Brom to come to England for less.
"I want to be able to, when I finish my career, with a range of experiences and feeling that I’ve consistently pushed and challenged, had new experiences. A little bit of my personality is that I do think I’ve really enjoyed building, getting going in a new project and once a new project is up and running, maybe that doesn’t suit me quite so much.”
Winter detailed what the Red Devils can expect from the 52-year-old, posting in detail on X:
Ashworth's project-over-money approach hasn't stopped his reported net worth from rising, which is reportedly as much as £4m currently – and a figure that may only go up as his successful career goes on.
Dan Ashworth's son
Whilst Ashworth endured a rather unspectacular non-league career, his son, Zac Ashworth, is currently on loan at Bolton Wanderers from West Brom, and also plays for the Wales U21s side. The 21-year-old left-back has made 20 appearances in all competitions for Bolton this season, including four starts and 18 appearances in League One.
Having thought to have grown up as a West Brom fan, Ashworth Jr began his career at the West Brom academy, before completing a loan move to Burton Albion. It was there that he took his first real steps into first-team action, starting 16 games in League One during the 2022/23 campaign. Ashworth's versatility is also something to take note of, as he can play at left-back as well as at centre-back and further up the pitch, with two goals coming in recent weeks from the left of the Bolton midfield.
Still a young player, it will be interesting to keep an eye on the left-back and whether he ever catches the eye of those at his father's club, whether that be Newcastle, Manchester United, or elsewhere in the coming years.
