Dan Ashworth while in his sporting director role at Newcastle United
Dan Ashworth had worked with the FA and at Brighton and Newcastle United before his ill-fated spell at Old Trafford
Dan Ashworth’s relationship with Arsenal managing director Richard Garlick could see him enter the frame for the sporting director role at the north London club.
Ashworth was sacked as Manchester United’s sporting director this weekend, just 159 days after starting the job, after failing to gel with the club’s new hierarchy.
Arsenal are currently in the process of recruiting a new sporting director following the resignation of Edu Gaspar last month.
Garlick, owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and executive vice-chair Tim Lewis are leading the recruitment process for a new sporting director, with strong input from manager Mikel Arteta.
Garlick and Ashworth previously worked closely together at West Bromwich Albion and are believed to have enjoyed a strong working relationship.
It remains to be seen what direction Arsenal will choose to take in their hunt for a new sporting director, though, with assistant sporting director Jason Ayto currently stepping up on an interim basis following Edu’s departure. Ayto is a candidate to take the role on a permanent basis.
Meanwhile, Arsenal full-back Kieran Tierney could make his first appearance for the club since August last year amid a defensive injury crisis at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta is without injured defenders Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White, while neither Jurrien Timber nor Thomas Partey trained on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League match against Monaco.
Tierney spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad and suffered a serious hamstring injury while playing for Scotland at the European Championship.
Tierney is not thought to feature prominently in Arteta’s long-term plans but he may be needed in the coming weeks, with the Arsenal manager saying he is now ready for action.
“Yeah, he is ready and he is training really well and he is going to have an opportunity for sure with the way the team is looking at the moment,” said Arteta.
“It’s for that reason and because he has earned it as well with the way he has behaved and the way he has been with us. He is willing to do it and when that happens you have to give opportunities to those kinds of players.”