by The new Manchester United are starting to hit the ground running under the guidance of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos. A clear strategy has been lacking in recent years and the implementation of one will be central to the park’s success. Omar Berrada will come in as chief executive in the summer and talks are underway to appoint Dan Ashworth as sporting director and Jason Wilcox as technical director.
Ratcliffe was clear about what he wanted from a chief executive and Berrada set the highest goal. The Frenchman’s credentials are impressive after 12 years working across town at City Football Group (CFG) following a spell at Barcelona. For years Berrada has been booked by professional sports organizations as a potential company leader. NFL franchises were among those interested.
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There’s also devilment from Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford, as it’s a real spice to get someone influential from their archives. Berrada is a rarity in football as the man central to City’s recent transfer negotiations is admired and respected by those who have worked with him.
Berrada set out his United plans early, desperate to create a solid management team capable of forging a new path. Ashworth and Wilcox – another with long experience at CFG – were in talks with him. Berrada is understood to be keen to appoint a deputy chief executive and has spoken to at least one senior person in football finance about the role.
Newcastle are demanding a minimum of £10m in compensation for Ashworth and, as the former PE teacher’s contract is understood to contain a “gardening leave” clause which prevents him from starting at a new club for a calendar year, the that sum almost certainly. raise.
If Manchester United want Ashworth this spring or, more realistically, this summer, they will have to pay for him. His emergence would surely herald the departure of director of football, John Murtough, and further appointments in the recruitment department.
Champions League qualification would help the summer transfer plans in terms of the club’s financial muscle and appeal. Ashworth has a track record of looking to sign players under the age of 25 who can improve. Old Trafford has a core of young quality that he would be keen to strengthen.
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Ashworth fans would say he is worth £10m-plus but, perhaps significantly, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was not among his main cheerleaders. Although there is no friction, and mutual respect, Ashworth was never allowed into Howe’s inner circle. The former Norwich apprentice did not confirm how close he was to Howe, among others, the FA’s Gareth Southgate, West Brom’s Tony Mowbray and Brighton’s Graham Potter.
Although Ashworth enjoys a good relationship with the majority Saudi owners in Newcastle, he is understood to be a little frustrated at how every decision has to be approved, sometimes slowly, in Riyadh.
Central to Ashworth’s rise to the highest echelons of the game has been his ability to seamlessly transition between the boardroom and the training ground. “I’m comfortable in a suit and tracksuit,” says the Uefa Pro license holder, who had his first break as an education and welfare officer at Peterborough. After becoming academy director, Ashworth moved to a similar position at Cambridge before moving to West Brom.
By the time he left the FA for Brighton he had begun to describe his role as “the middle of the wheel”, acting as a vital conduit between departments. It is a misnomer to see him primarily as a great talent spotter. At Newcastle, Howe, whose nephew Andy Howe is head of technical scouting, certainly has the final say on transfers and Ashworth’s role was to handle the final stages of negotiations and ensure deals are completed.
On Tyneside he played a key role in the integration and professionalism of the women’s team, a review of the academy, was involved in the multi-million pound refurbishment of Newcastle’s training ground and appointed a head of psychology.
Most importantly, Ashworth – whose family home is in Staffordshire, significantly closer to Manchester than Newcastle – knows better than to run when he’d be better off walking. and is adept at using excellent communication skills to build trust. Howe certainly appreciates his approach. “When you’re in a position of power like Dan, the natural temptation is to change everything, come in with a big ego and say: ‘This is what we’re going to do,'” he said Friday. “The biggest compliment I can give Dan is that he didn’t – and that’s hard. He allowed the structures that were in place to exist and survive and we are still working in the same way.”
The only blemish on Ashworth’s tenure at Newcastle was Sandro Tonali’s 10-month suspension for breaches of Italy’s betting regulations. Ashworth’s key role in completing the £55m move for the Italian midfielder from Milan has been the subject of an internal forensic review which is believed to have concluded that, without resorting to illegal surveillance, it would have been impossible to the information about Tonali’s gambling addiction.
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Wilcox would work under Ashworth, leading coaching methodology and player development channels while the sporting director oversees football operations and directs recruitment. Wilcox was Manchester City’s under-18 coach before becoming academy director, giving him an understanding of both sides of the development coin.
The former Blackburn player was looking to try his hand at a senior first-team-watching role, leaving in January 2023 for Southampton, where he has helped Russell Martin’s rebuild since his release from the Premier League. starting to bear fruit. Wilcox is from the north west and has spent most of his playing career in the region, so the chance to be back in Manchester would be a bonus.
The individuals targeted at United have the required expertise and experience. It will be a huge task to turn the ship around at Old Trafford but the planning is clinical. Ratcliffe et al must expect death to come.
