(Image: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images.)
Dan Ashworth, the former Newcastle United sporting director, is in discussions over a return to the Football Association in a senior role, according to fresh reports.
The 54-year-old has been out of work since he was sacked last year by Manchester United just five months after starting a new job at Old Trafford. Man United had poached him from Newcastle earlier in 2024.
Ashworth made his name at the FA where he was a pivotal figure between 2012 and 2018. He was lauded as the man responsible for introducing the FA's DNA programme.
Ashworth rose from head of elite development to running the entire football operation at St George’s Park. He left in 2018 to take up the sporting director role at Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Telegraph claims that he is now being considered for a 'major job' back at St George’s Park. It is claimed Ashworth would oversee the “St George’s Park 2.0 project” that was recently announced by the FA – a “radical refurbishment” of the facility.
He would also oversee both the men’s and women’s senior and junior teams and look closely at coach development. German coach Thomas Tuchel took over from Gareth Southgate as the manager of the men's national team, amid a lack of Englishman available for the job. Only two English managers - Newcastle's Eddie Howe and West Ham's Graham Potter - currently work in the Premier League.
Under Ashworth's previous tenure at the FA, the Under-17s and Under-20s were world champions in 2017 and the Under-19s were European champions the same year. He played a role in the appointment of Southgate as England boss after the Sam Allardyce scandal and watched as the ex-Middlesbrough man led them to the World Cup semi-finals in Ashworth’s last year at the FA.
At Newcastle, Ashworth was responsible for "overarching sporting strategy, football development and recruitment at all age levels.” He was appointed in 2022 after Newcastle approached his previous club, Brighton, for his services and Ashworth completed a period of gardening leave.
He lasted less than two years at Newcastle, before informing the club in February 2024 that he wished to leave and join Man United. He was immediately placed on gardening leave again as the two clubs conducted an at times public and acrimonious negotiation for compensation.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe went to great lengths to tempt Ashworth to Old Trafford having described the former Newcastle United sporting director as 'one of the best' in the world little more than a year ago. The Manchester United co-owner even hit out at Newcastle's 'silly' demands to cut short Ashworth's lengthy notice period and suggested the Magpies were being 'very difficult'.
After starting work in the summer at Old Trafford, Ashworth was the senior figure quoted when Manchester United extended former manager Erik ten Hag's contract and when the club committed to spending more than £205m - if various add-ons are met - on Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte.
However, it all turned sour and after Ten Hag was sacked, Ashworth suggested Southgate as a potential replacement. Man United decided instead to go for Ruben Amorim, and also parted company with Ashworth in December.
Ratcliffe said of the decision: "At the end of the day, it was chemistry. Maybe a bit more than chemistry, but let's just say chemistry and it didn't work. Just chemistry.
"We did recognise it as something that would not work and therefore we decided we would make a change."
Ashworh has since been linked with a number of roles, including sporting director at Arsenal and a move to Saudi Arabia under Newcastle's owners PIF.