Newcastle send message to Ratcliffe over Man Utd's pursuit of Ashworth

11 January 2024 , 22:17

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Newcastle's Sporting Director Dan Ashworth has attracted interest from Manchester United (Image: Getty Images)

Newcastle are confident they WILL keep Sporting Director Dan Ashworth amid interest from Manchester United.

‌And head coach Eddie Howe - under pressure after recent results - has been given a strong endorsement for club bosses. Former Football Association and Brighton football director Ashworth has been a target for the Old Trafford giants since Jim Ratcliffe’s partial takeover was completed.

‌They want a new football supremo to oversee United's rebuild, alongside cycling guru Dave Brailsford. But Newcastle chief executive Darren Eales said today: “Dan spoke on the record recently about being happy in the project.

“We go back to our days at West Bromwich Albion where we worked together. Dan's done a great job, there's a lot more work to be done and we're hopeful he's here for the long term. He's certainly enjoying his time at the moment.”‌

Howe oversaw a Tyne Wear derby win last weekend in the FA Cup at Sunderland, after a losing streak of nine defeats in 13 games. United face Man City and Aston Villa next in the league. Eales has described Howe’s role as “huge” and that he wants him to stay for “many years to come.”

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Eales said: “Eddie has done a remarkable job, so really important. If you think, sometimes you have to pinch yourself that we were 19th and fearing relegation and then last season for the first time in 20 years we got to play in a Wembley final and we qualified for Champions League.

“There's no doubt we have had that real progression on the pitch and Eddie is a huge, integral part of that. We hope he is going to be with us for many years to come.”

Chief Executive Darren Eales is confident Ashworth will remain at Newcastle (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Eales also admitted that Newcastle could be forced to sell one of their top stars in order to fund new signings, with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules currently preventing them from making more big money transfers.

“It’s difficult to say specifically on certain players, but I can say that if we’re going to get to where we want to get to, at times it is necessary to trade your players, ” he added. “Any decision we make will always be against the backdrop of the medium to long-term benefit for the club.

“Whether that is because of the contract length of the player in question, the offer is too good to refuse, you need to reload in certain areas, but all of this could make sense to trade that player. It is counter-intuitive and part of the inherent system of PSR that there is an incentive to trade your players if you want to re-invest.”

Simon Bird