Dan Ashworth 'lands first job' since abrupt Manchester United exit after Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'mistake'

Evening Standard

·13 mai 2025

Dan Ashworth 'lands first job' since abrupt Manchester United exit after Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'mistake'

Hiring and then firing Ashworth five months later cost the club more than £4m

Familiar territory: Dan Ashworth is set to once again take up a role at the FA

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Manchester United via Getty Imag

Dan Ashworth is set to secure a return to football after leaving Manchester United in December.

The 54-year-old officially started at Old Trafford as sporting director on July 1 last year, having spent five months on gardening leave at Newcastle.

However, Ashworth left his role at United after just five months, with the club’s accounts revealing that hiring and firing him cost in excess of £4m.

According to the BBC, Ashworth is now expected to return to the Football Association, where he worked between 2012 and 2018.

He is reportedly set to become the FA’s head of elite men’s and women’s development, a role that will include overseeing the development of homegrown coaches and the refurbishment of St George’s Park.

Eddie Howe and Graham Potter are currently the only two English managers in the Premier League.

In a wide-ranging interview in March, United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe admitted that bringing Ashworth to the club had been a mistake, but refused to provide an explanation on his departure beyond pointing to “chemistry”.

“It was an error on our part,” Ratcliffe said.

“All I will say is chemistry, really. I don't really want to go into the details. I think we are where we are. We have moved on. A chemistry issue.”

He added: “We are not perfect, and we are on a journey, and there have been a couple of errors along the way, but I think in the main all the things we are doing are the right things for the club.

“I agree the Erik ten Tag and Dan Ashworth decisions were errors. I think there were some mitigating circumstances, but ultimately they were errors. I accept that and I apologise for that.