Newcastle United supporter touted as possible Dan Ashworth replacement amid Manchester United links

Brentford supremo Phil Giles is rumoured to be the man Newcastle United chiefs want to replace Dan Ashworth should the sporting director jump ship after just 18 months.

Reports ramped up yesterday suggesting the Toon sporting director is open to the idea of joining Manchester United. Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently acquired a 25 per cent stake in the Red Devils, with the Glazer family relinquishing control of football matters.

The INEOS billionaire - alongside trusted lieutenant Sir David Brailsford - is carrying out an audit at the club and is keen to appoint a sporting director. Ashworth was previously linked with the Old Trafford gig while working at the FA as head of elite development.

However, he rejected their approach, opting to join Brighton and kick-start an eye-catching era on the south coast. His work with the Seagulls led him to join Newcastle in June last year but, according to reports, he is already angling for a move.

Brailsford has been Ratcliffe’s right-hand man throughout his sporting ventures, most notably at British Cycling and Ligue 1 outfit Nice. He is understood to be the man who has headhunted Ashworth as the man to revamp Man United.

Should he leave, various outlets claim Newcastle would be ready to approach Brentford for Giles, the man who has overseen their rise to the Premier League since his appointment in 2015. A boyhood Toon fan, Giles has been a key cog in the wheel of arguably the most astutely run club in English football.

Being a lifelong fan provides an ace up the Magpies’ sleeve and the 48-year-old has previously revealed he held a season ticket at St James’ Park as a youngster. Giles earned a PhD in statistics at Newcastle University before joining Smartodds, an analytical company owned by Brentford owner Matthew Benham, a role which ultimately landed him the Bees post.