Dan Ashworth pictured during his time as Manchester United sporting director
Dan Ashworth has been linked with Arsenal after leaving Manchester United over the weekend
Dan Ashworth's sudden availability is said to have caught the attention of Arsenal in their search for a new sporting director.
Ashworth, formerly of the Football Association and Brighton, joined Manchester United from Newcastle in the summer after a period of gardening leave, with United eventually paying around £3million to procure him from their Premier League rivals.
However, the Red Devils sent shockwaves through football when they announced that Ashworth would be leaving his role after just five months over the weekend.
Mirror Football outlined how Ashworth's departure came about due to tension among the club hierarchy following the decision to appoint Ruben Amorim as their new head coach last month. Ashworth favoured other candidates and is understood to have clashed with members of United's new football leadership team - but his brutal sacking doesn't appear to have significantly harmed his stock.
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Rio Ferdinand fumes at 's***' Man Utd players after shock Dan Ashworth exit](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/rio-ferdinand-manutd-transfers-ashworth-34281656)
A new report from The Sun claims that Ashworth is already attracting interest from elsewhere in the Premier League, namely from Arsenal, who themselves are searching for a new sporting director after Edu decided to resign from said post last month.
The report claims that Ashworth's availability has 'caught the eye' of Richard Garlick, who is leading the recruitment process. Intriguingly, he has worked with Ashworth previously at West Brom and the pair are said to have a good relationship.
Interest from Everton is also outlined as part of the Friedkin Group's attempt to take over the troubled Toffees. They are expected to overhaul the club's structure should they be successful in acquiring the club and Ashworth would seemingly be of interest.
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Arsenal are searching for a new sporting director to replace Edu
United's decision to sack Ashworth has largely split opinion. And former United defender Rio Ferdinand has called on the club's powerbrokers, including Sir Jim Ratcliffe, to act just as decisively when it comes to their underperforming players.
“Confusion is the first thing that springs to mind,” Ferdinand said on his Rio Presents podcast following Ashworth's swift exit. “I just hope they’re this brutal – as they have been with the staff that have been there for years and they’re culling – with the s*** players that are there.
“If there’s any s*** players that are there, and the ones that have either been there too long and the ones that just ain’t good enough, be as brutal as they’ve been. Get them out quick. And I hope they’re like that.”
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