Dan Ashworth could be set to rejoin the Football Association after his ill-fated five month stint as Manchester United's sporting director, with the 54-year-old currently in talks
Comments
Sport
Dan Ashworth
Dan Ashworth could return to the FA(Image: AP)
Former Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth is reportedly in talks over a return to the Football Association (FA). Ashworth joined the FA in 2012 as their head of elite development and was serving as technical director when he stood down in 2018 to join Brighton.
After helping Brighton thrive in the Premier League, Ashworth was appointed as Newcastle's sporting director in 2022 as the club entered a new era following their takeover by a consortium led by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.
Article continues below
Ashworth then left Newcastle for United in 2024 after Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a stake in the club, but he lasted just five months at Old Trafford and was axed in December. The Telegraph are now reporting that Ashworth could be set for a return to the FA.
The report states that he is in talks with FA chiefs to potentially oversee the recently announced St George's Park 2.0 project. The FA are funding a multi-million refurbishment of their training base ahead of Euro 2028, which is being co-hosted by England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
It is claimed that Ashworth would also oversee the men's and women's senior and junior teams and be involved in coach development, with the FA Concerned about British coaching pathways.
READ MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Real Madrid and Liverpool position on bombshell transferREAD MORE: Dan Ashworth's top two candidates to replace Erik ten Hag at Man Utd explains his exit
Two non-English managers, Thomas Tuchel and Sarina Wiegman, are currently in charge of the senior national teams and Tuchel's appointment in October prompted questions about the pathway.
"If you look at St George's Park overall, I think it has been a really good success," FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said in response. "Our pathway is really strong, both from a coach's and player's point of view.
"There are a lot of fantastic young coaches around and obviously Anthony [Barry] is one of those. I think any federation in the world that is looking to hire a senior manager, clearly you would love to have five to 10 domestic candidates who are coaching clubs in your domestic league, challenging and winning honours in your domestic league and European football.
Dan Ashworth
Ashworth previously worked at the FA between 2012 and 2018
"We are not quite in that place at the moment. Our priority was to find someone that can give our players the best possible chance to win. We have found that and we have got Thomas – and we are delighted with that.
"In the background, we have got to keep helping our young coaches to get the best opportunities they can and to get them good opportunities at clubs. We would love to have more English coaches managing in the Premier League, for example.
"I think there is a balance there. We were always very clear that we wanted the best person for the job and I feel we owe it to the players and the country to give them that support and leadership in tournaments to get them over the line."
The report adds that a potential Ashworth return would not have any effect on John McDermott's role as technical director, while there are still plans to replace Kay Cossington when she leaves her role as women's technical director at the end of the year.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.