Dan Ashworth breaks silence as Man Utd agree second summer deal after Newcastle United blow
Dan Ashworth has spoken publicly for the first time since being appointed as Manchester United’s new sporting director.
The 53-year-old officially moved to Old Trafford on Monday after five months on gardening leave. The Magpies initially demanded £20million in compensation before reaching an agreement, the details of which will remain confidential.
Ashworth started work immediately and has already been involved with some major news regarding manager Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag has penned a new deal with Man United, three weeks on from confirmation that he is set to remain as the club’s manager. The Dutchman’s extension runs until June 2026 and is expected to involve a slight alteration in role, as the Ten Hag fits into the Ineos football structure.
Speaking about Ten Hag’s extension, Ashworth said: “With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football.
“While the club’s review of last season highlighted areas for improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.
"This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing and winning at the top level; now we need to do it more consistently. With our strengthened football leadership team now in place, we are looking forward to working hand-in-hand with Erik to achieve our shared ambitions for this football club.”
The Red Devils have renewed their rivalry with Newcastle in recent years. In Ten Hag’s first season in charge, they beat Eddie Howe’s side 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final.
Howe has only lost once to Ten Hag in the Premier League yet the latter inflicted more misery last season after their FA Cup victory denied the club a place in next season’s Europa Conference League.
“I am very pleased to have reached agreement with the club to continue working together,” Ten Hag added. “Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined.
"However, we must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.
"In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are all strongly committed to making that journey together.”