Newcastle United are sure to be looking at alternative options as Dan Ashworth looks like he is keen on joining Manchester United.
It isn’t ideal for the Magpies who were hoping to have their sporting director stay and develop the club over the next decade, but there’s little they can do to to stop him from leaving if he wants the move.
It was believed that Newcastle had lined up some possible replacements, but journalist Luke Edwards has claimed that there is no truth in their interest of Bournemouth’s Richard Hughes.
Newcastle preparing to lose Ashworth soon
At this point it almost feels like an expectation that Ashworth will leave Newcastle after all the noise that is coming from both clubs suggesting that a decision is going to be made next week.
Manchester United’s new group of investors have been very clear that Ashworth is their number one target and it doesn’t look like they’re going to let up any time soon.
Despite it being a big blow to Newcastle, they are already looking to act quickly when it comes to finding a replacement, though it’s not quite clear yet who that might be.
With Hughes now ruled out, that leaves Michael Edwards as the only other name mentioned, but he left his role at Liverpool to pursue his own personal interests and it feels unlikely that he would now come back into the job at Newcastle.
On social media, Edwards said: “Told that there is no truth in claims that Richard Hughes could replace Dan Ashworth at #nufc there will be no shortage of interest in becoming the new DoF if, as expected, Ashworth leaves.
“Michael Edwards a name that has cropped up in conversation but I’ve no more than that at the moment. And neither do Newcastle.”
Newcastle just need to bite the bullet at this point
It does feel like things have gone too far now and that the club should be looking to only keep people around who actually want to be here, rather than forcing someone to stay whose interests lie elsewhere.
It’s obvious why Ashworth would be tempted by Man United’s role, especially when the news emerged that he doesn’t have total control at Newcastle and would likely have more freedom at Old Trafford.
But that still doesn’t mean they should be doing absolutely everything they can to keep the 52-year-old when he doesn’t want to stay, and instead they should be focusing on finding the most suitable replacement.
They now need to recruit someone who will be happy working alongside Eddie Howe and in the conditions that has maybe frustrated Ashworth at times.
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