17 December 2023 , 09:37
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Bournemouth transfer chief Richard Hughes is at the top of Newcastle's shortlist to replace Dan Ashworth amid Manchester United's interest in the sporting director.
United are expected to fortify their infrastructure once Sir Jim Ratcliffe's £1.25billion deal for a minority stake in the club is confirmed and the Ineos chief will bring in a number of his own personnel once he assumes control of sporting operations.
Sourcing a new sporting director is Ratcliffe's top priority and Ashworth, who won plenty of admirers during spells with Brighton and The FA, is of interest. And it now seems as though Newcastle are making contingency plans in case the 52-year-old is prised away.
According to a new report from The Sun, Newcastle have identified Hughes as a potential target should Ashworth decide to swap St James' Park for Old Trafford. Hughes, 44, worked closely with Magpies manager Eddie Howe during his stint at Bournemouth and the technical director is very highly regarded on the south coast.
While Hughes is of interest, Newcastle would prefer Ashworth to remain in the post he started just over a year ago after leaving Brighton. The report goes on to claim that the 52-year-old is Ratcliffe's primary choice to become United's new sporting director despite a host of other names being linked with the vacancy in recent months.
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Furthermore, it's claimed that Ashworth would still be joined by another transfer expert, meaning that the likes of Paul Mitchell and Dougie Freedman - two other names touted as contenders for the sporting director role - could still end up at Manchester United.
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Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth is a target for Manchester United (Richard Lee/REX/Shutterstock)While it remains to be seen if Erik ten Hag will be given the opportunity to bolster his beleaguered squad in January, the Dutchman is believed to still retain the support of the both the United hierarchy and Ineos.
The former Ajax chief has been scrutinised this season after overseeing the club's worst start to a domestic campaign for decades. And things got even worse in midweek when they were dumped out of Europe altogether following defeat against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
It's understood that Ten Hag will need to significantly improve results in order to keep Ratcliffe and co on board. United face arch-rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.