Simon Jordan believes Manchester United will succeed in luring Dan Ashworth away from Premier League rivals Newcastle with the highly-rated sporting director a man ‘at the top of his game’.
The one-time Crystal Palace chairman tends to use a familiar phrase when describing Manchester United’s appointments in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. Old Trafford, Jordan argues, is no longer a home to those who can genuinely be considered ‘best in class’ at the very highest level of European football.
But that may be about to change. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, after INEOS completed their 25 per cent minority takeover, has wasted little time in appointing Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc to the United board, with two of the game’s most renowned directors also lined up to overhaul the club’s misfiring recruitment department.
Manchester United eye Newcastle raid for Dan Ashworth
According to i News, Paul Mitchell, the brains behind Mauricio Pochettino’s success at Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, is a leading target. He could be joined at the Red Devils by a man who helped transform the England set-up with the FA and played a major role in Brighton’s emergence as one of best-run clubs in the game before joining Newcastle in 2022.
“Yes, I probably can because of Man United’s lure,” Jordan told talkSPORT (5 January, 11am) when asked if he can see Dan Ashworth leaving Tyneside for the North West.
“I was not a fan of Ashworth (initially). I thought he was one of those guys who takes more credit than he was entitled to. But, when you look at his body of work, you cannot argue with Ashworth’s credentials.
“The philosophy he put into Brighton, the legacy he has left, the players who were recruited… I think Ashworth, quite frankly, is at the top of his game. So I am not surprised (Man United want him).
“He will interview well. And if United want him, United will get him.”
talkSPORT believe that there is a growing confidence at Old Trafford that Ashworth will be convinced to turn his back on The Magpies. That does not take Jordan by surprise either, pointing out that Ashworth spent only a brief period at Brighton before moving on to Newcastle.
‘He is as good as it gets’
“I know you’ve got the Saudis, and enormous amounts of money (at Newcastle, but) he does two-year cycles,” Jordan adds. “When you look at the body of work wherever he’s done it, you’re making an argument that he is as good as it gets
“(But Manchester United) is the top of the tree. This is where the scrutiny comes in. This is where you play with £100 million transfers.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/CLdeJIQ