Dan Ashworth is set to return to football after his messy Newcastle United exit and disastrous Manchester United spell.
The 54-year-old has been out of work since December 2024, with Dan Ashworth leaving Manchester United just five months after arriving at Old Trafford.
His move from Newcastle United to Manchester United became a real saga, and it ended up being all for nothing.
In the end, Ashworth cost Man United £4.1million in total. That includes the compensation that the Magpies received, plus what Man United had to pay Dan Ashworth to relieve him of his duties.
Dan Ashworth’s Newcastle United regret
Ashworth was lured to Old Trafford by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s project, but the grass certainly was not greener.
In fact, the Telegraph have reported that Ashworth has been telling people within football that he actually regrets his decision to leave his role as Newcastle’s sporting director.
Having been placed on gardening leave, he officially left the club in July 2024. Ashworth only spent 18 months on Tyneside, after Newcastle United had worked so hard to bring him to the club from Brighton.
His exit forced the Magpies to find a replacement, with Paul Mitchell now operating as Newcastle United’s sporting director.
While Ashworth had a strong relationship with Eddie Howe, there was initial tension between the Toon boss and Ashworth’s replacement Paul Mitchell.
Their relationship is believed to have improved, as Mitchell gets set to flex his recruitment muscles in the summer transfer market.
Dan Ashworth’s new job
It was reported in March that Ashworth was in talks to return to the FA.
He held the role of director of elite development between 2012 and 2018, and is now going to return in a different capacity.
The Telegraph report that Ashworth is going to become the FA’s new director of football operations, and is going to begin his new role imminently.
After his unsavoury Newcastle United departure and shambolic Manchester United tenure, Ashworth will hope to rebuild his reputation as he returns to the FA.
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