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INEOS are all set to appoint Dan Ashworth as the new Manchester United sporting director as part of the structure being formed at the club.
Newcastle and Man Utd continue to try and reach an agreement that will see Ashworth take control of the INEOS project at Old Trafford sooner rather than later, but Newcastle’s demand for upwards of £15million has been laughed off publicly and privately in Manchester.
While a stalemate ensues, Ashworth remains on gardening leave.
Ashworth has a brilliant track record as an executive at Brighton and now Newcastle.
He is well on record being of the opinion that Premier League clubs should look to their youth system more often and avoid the temptation of spending big money on transfer.
“Of all my roles, the one I’m most passionate about is opening up pathways for young players. Sometimes I’ve seen clubs work in silos and the academy is working all hours god sends to try and develop players for the first team and the recruitment department is working all hours god sends to try and sign players,” Ashworth said.
He went on to explain how himself has been a victim of that terming it as a case of having too much money to spend on signing players as compared to other European leagues.
“When you are trying to put together a squad that can survive and thrive in the Premier League, the temptation is to go with proven players that are able to come in and are ‘here and now ready,’” he concluded.
United’s academy will have no problem when it comes to producing Premier-League calibre talent and Ashworth will definitely play his part ensuring the club relies on the youth system more.
As a bonus, the club will be at a better position to navigate financial FFP rules.
The club is perilously close to breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules at the moment, so promoting from within after a sale might be an area they can benefit from this summer.
