There has been a dramatic twist in the Dan Ashworth to Manchester United saga, and one that could play into Newcastle United’s hands.
The Magpies are currently looking to appoint his replacement, with Dougie Freedman the favourite for the role. Meanwhile, Dan Ashworth‘s move to Manchester United appears to have stalled.
The Red Devils have been unwilling to meet Newcastle’s compensation demands, with the Magpies not prepared to sanction his move to Old Trafford.
It has been a messy situation, and one that has suddenly got even messier with arbitration on the horizon.
Dan Ashworth blunder to give Newcastle an advantage in Man United negotiations
News broke on Tuesday night that Dan Ashworth had told Manchester United that he was interested in becoming their sporting director before the Red Devils had made a formal approach. The exclusive from the Daily Mail stated that Ashworth had emailed Omar Berrada about his interest, but accidentally included an official Newcastle United email address.
The situation is even more convoluted due to the fact that Berrada had not officially started his role as Man United’s new chief executive, and was still on gardening leave from Manchester City at the time.
The Telegraph have reported that this blunder is expected to give Newcastle an advantage as they go in search of the compensation they are looking for.
What Dan Ashworth plans to do amid Newcastle United fury
But Dan Ashworth seems to have a new plan of attack, with an update from the Telegraph stating that the former FA chief will argue that he was sacked by the Magpies rather than placed on gardening leave.
They report that Ashworth’s argument is that he was not asked to hand in a written resignation before being put on gardening leave, meaning that he was removed from his role rather than stepping down.
The Telegraph state that Newcastle are ‘astounded’ by this approach, and are ‘furious’ for the way they believe Ashworth misled them.
They add that the club now want to speak to Man United formally, hoping they will increase their compensation offer to a more suitable amount before arbitration begins.
Newcastle will want to see the back of this messy situation
This situation is an absolute mess. Newcastle United are understandably furious, while Ashworth and Man United’s new ownership have come out of this looking terribly.
Ashworth was viewed as Newcastle’s saviour when he first arrived, seen as the man who would guide the club towards an extremely bright future. And while he certainly did a lot of good work at St James’ Park, this move to Man United and the way it has gone about has tarnished his reputation among Toon fans.
For Newcastle, they are rightly angry and want the compensation they feel they are owed. Surely they are now in a stronger position to get it after the revelation of Ashworth’s email activity.
It is not a good look for Ashworth, and Newcastle United will be happy when all of this is over.
Without him, they are closing in on deals for Lloyd Kelly and Tosin Adarabioyo, and are hoping to announce their new sporting director very soon.
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