Dan Ashworth is finally free to start work as Manchester United’s sporting director after compensation was agreed with Newcastle United.
The former Football Association technical director was placed on gardening leave by Newcastle in February after it became apparent Ashworth wanted to swap St James’ Park for Old Trafford to join the new Ineos management model established by the minority co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
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The 53-year-old joined Newcastle as sporting director from Brighton in 2022 and his exit did not go down well with executives at the majority Saudi Arabian-owned club, who demanded a £20m settlement fee from Manchester United.
With Ratcliffe and co initially offering £2m it had appeared as if the dispute was bound for arbitration but an out-of-court settlement was reached over the weekend, ending an impasse that has prevented Newcastle from appointing Ashworth’s successor.
The eundisclosed financial compromise also offered Newcastle a welcome boost as they struggled to fall on the right side of profitability and sustainability regulations before Sunday night’s deadline at the end of the latest three-year PSR cycle.
Premier League clubs are not permitted to lose more than £105m over three seasons but Newcastle hope that, allied to the Ashworth settlement, the weekend sales of Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton for a collective figure approaching £70m have warded off the threat of a points deduction in January.
The onset of a new three-year PSR cycle offers clubs more room for manoeuvre and Newcastle duly announced the signing of the former Chelsea left-back Lewis Hall in a £28m move from Chelsea on Monday. Hall spent last season on loan at St James’ Park. Newcastle have also signed the back-up goalkeeper John Ruddy after his Birmingham contract expired.
Although Eddie Howe, Newcastle’s manager, can now be confident of retaining two marquee names in the Sweden striker Alexander Isak and the Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimarães, the prospect of Liverpool reviving their interest in the England winger Anthony Gordon is not believed to have been fully extinguished.
