What Paul Mitchell recently told Man United is now very interesting after Newcastle appointment

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Newcastle United finally have a new sporting director, with Paul Mitchell arriving to replace Dan Ashworth following his move to Manchester United.

The announcement came completely out of the blue, with the Magpies confirming their latest hire on Thursday morning to the shock of Toon fans. But it is certainly a nice surprise, with supporters delighted to welcome Paul Mitchell to Tyneside.

Just days after Dan Ashworth finally moved to Manchester United, Newcastle United have acted swiftly to appoint his replacement. After being turned down by Dougie Freedman, Toon officials have gone back to Mitchell, who was initially reported to be the favourite for the job.

Now he has got the honour of leading Newcastle’s football operations, ahead of a summer transfer window in which it is vital that the Magpies bring in players that can help take the club to the next level.

It will be exciting to see who Mitchell brings in, and his track record when it comes to recruitment will provide fans with a lot of encouragement. He did a brilliant job at Monaco, RB Leipzig and Tottenham, and now it is Newcastle who could benefit from his expertise.

Manchester United wanted Paul Mitchell

And it is an expertise that Manchester United wanted to take advantage of, with Mitchell linked with a move to Old Trafford when Sir Jim Ratcliffe was planning his Old Trafford overhaul.

It was reported by iNews in January that Man United wanted to bring in Mitchell to work behind the scenes alongside Dan Ashworth.

They reported that their top priority was to get Ashworth as sporting director, but they also wanted Mitchell to come in and be their head of recruitment.

While they got Ashworth, they did not get Mitchell.

That is because, according to the Athletic in February, the 42-year-old told the Man United owners INEOS that he was not interested in a role with the Red Devils. They state that he wanted to look at opportunities elsewhere, and that is exactly what he has done.

Newcastle get the recruitment expert that Man United targeted

The opportunity he has got is at Newcastle, where the PIF project is in full swing. It has already taken the Magpies into the Champions League, and that is a stage they will be keen to return to in the coming years.

To get there on a consistent basis, Newcastle will need to get their recruitment right. That is why they have named Paul Mitchell as their new sporting director, as they targeted someone who was a specialist in that area, rather than a club builder like Ashworth.

He has taken his talents to Old Trafford, and is tasked with bringing Man United back to their former glories. And to get there, Sir Jim Ratcliffe also wanted Mitchell involved.

But he said no, which makes his move to Newcastle even more exciting given what has gone on between the two clubs in recent months.