Rio Ferdinand has opened up on what he told Newcastle United about Dan Ashworth before they had even hired him.
Ashworth is set to leave the North East to join Man United meaning he could be at his third club in the last two years with the director believed to be one of the best in the business.
Ferdinand has been a huge fan of Ashworth for a while now and on his YouTube channel Vibe with FIVE, he claimed he had told Newcastle to go and get him from Brighton before they did.
Ferdinand encouraged Newcastle to hire Ashworth
Ashworth’s name holds a lot of weight in the football industry as the man who helped to guide England into a more promising era as well as doing some brilliant work at West Brom and Brighton.
Newcastle had appreciated all the good work Ashworth had done in his time and identified him as the perfect candidate to develop this club into an elite side, but he is set to leave less than two years into the project.
While Newcastle would have loved to have kept him, the offer from Man United proved to be too enticing to turn down for Ashworth who now must wait to begin his work at Old Trafford.
Ferdinand has claimed that he originally had encouraged Newcastle to make a move for the 52-year-old and that he was also keen on Man United bringing him in to sort out the mess they were in.
On his show, Ferdinand said: “I think he’s the best He’s so calm, he’s so sure in what he’s doing. He’s so focused, diligent, he knows the market.
“Not swayed, I don’t think he gets bullied by agents and stuff like that. We should go back into the archives. I said that Man United should have got him time ago.
“If I had my choice to take a sporting director it would have been him. I spoke to him at Brighton. People at Newcastle asked me my opinion and I said, I’d go and get him and they went and got him.”
Newcastle playing hardball with Man United
For years and years big clubs like Man United would be able to come over to Newcastle and basically take their pick for the best young players, first-team stars or staff members.
It’s been happening so often with academy players like Bobby Clarke, who left to join Liverpool, and Ollie Harrison, who left to join Chelsea, with both now being involved in their respective first-team squads.
While Man United have still been able to lure Ashworth away, Newcastle have done so well in protecting themselves from this scenario and when he does eventually leave they will at least be receiving a decent fee for his services.
If nothing else, it certainly sends a message to other clubs that Newcastle will no longer be taken for a fool and are very careful and thorough in their preparations when making a signing.
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