Dan Ashworth's Move To Manchester United Is Not Imminent

Manchester United still want Dan Ashworth, but they may have to wait a little while longer to land their man if recent reports are to be believed. Ashworth is currently on gardening leave from Newcastle United, which could, if an agreement is not reached between the two clubs, last up to 18 months.

United are of course keen to get Ashworth in at an earlier stage, preferably for the summer transfer window, but there is yet to be a full agreement with Newcastle that would see the director’s gardening leave cut short. According to David Ornstein, there have yet to be any significant developments between the two clubs when it comes to a full agreement for the former Brighton man.

Ashworth Not Imminent:

The belief at present is that Manchester United will wait to appoint the likes of Jason Wilcox and the other people they have in mind for prominent roles at the club until after Ashworth is appointed. Dougie Freedman has been rumoured for a role at United, but there is no confirmation of any approaches made to Crystal Palace as of yet.

Ashworth is regarded as one of the best sporting directors in England at the moment, but reports have suggested that his role at United will be higher up than that of the sporting director, with current Southampton director Jason Wilcox expected to answer to him if a deal is successful to bring him to the club too.

Omar Berrada, the incoming CEO of the club, is anticipated to start working in the summer after joining from Manchester City in January, and Ashworth is expected to work below him to try and restructure the club in the mould of a top elite professional institution.

No Pause On Summer Plans

Despite the delay in Ashworth being hired at the club, it is full speed ahead in regards to the summer plans. As per the UnitedMuppetiers, the club is doing their due diligence on a number of deals ahead of the window, and there is no sense of waiting around for Ashworth to come in and wave a magic wand.

A number of United’s scouts have been at work in recent weeks, watching players around the world. We understand Semih Kılıçsoy from Besiktas is someone the club has watched in recent weeks, and they have also watched players from PAOK and Dinamo Zagreb in the last two weeks.

United officials John Murtough and Matt Hargreaves recently met with both Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as the agency CAA Base, during a trip to Spain. There was no confirmation of the players being discussed between the two clubs, however.

Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton is a target for United. The defender is one of the main targets for the centre-back position as the Red’s look to sure up their defence with the likes of Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire’s futures both currently up in the air.

Another defender United have been linked with for a long time is Jean-Clair Todibo. A deal is seen as relatively easy due to INEOS also owning OGC Nice, and the player has previously been quoted at around £40 million.

United will also target a left-back and a young striker. We understand Miguel Gutierrez from Girona is a target for the summer, but a deal is difficult due to Real Madrid’s interest in purchasing the player back to the club using the £8 million buy-back clause currently in his contract.

It’s set to be a summer of change for Manchester United, and despite the delay, they will be hoping Dan Ashworth can beome part of it in the coming weeks.