Manchester United have always had an abundance of players coming through the academy, which includes the name Ashley Westwood.
In November 2023, Former Bengaluru FC and Punjab FC manager Westwood was appointed as the head coach of the Afghanistan men’s national football team ahead of their World Cup qualification journey.
The Manchester United Academy graduate agreed to a one-year deal with the Afghanistan Football Federation, taking charge just before their World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
So just how did the Englishman get there? Here is the story of Westwood and his appointment as Afghanistan manager.
How Ashley Westwood became Afghanistan manager
In a remarkable turn of events, the former Red Devils man was the front-runner for the job at the helm of the Afghanistan football team back in November 2023.
This was two years after the Taliban had retaken control of the country, following the withdrawal of the USA and its allies, including the UK.
Westwood was heavily advised by the UK government not to make the move. A decision with hindsight in our favour, we know he ignored.
“I got from the plane to clearing the airport in about three minutes,” Westwood told The Athletic. “As we left, a man with the biggest machine gun I’ve ever seen — though I’ve not seen many — gets in the front of the car with his gun prodding upwards.”
“I went because I wanted to see them face to face,” he says. “To ask them what they wanted and to tell them what I needed to achieve that. This is my character, whether I make the right or wrong decision. Like when I told Sir Alex Ferguson that I knew more than him. I didn’t.
“People read a lot about Afghanistan as a country. It had gone through tough times and so had their football. I told them what I felt was needed and that if it wasn’t going to be possible then I’d leave right then. I wasn’t begging for a job, but I needed to do my job with no interference.
“I’d also read about the issues (player revolt) and while I’m all for player power, players shouldn’t be deciding who the coach is. The issues were before me but I told the federation that players would get a chance under me and that I’d make the set up more professional with high-level coaching, good training and use of technology.
“The players were also entitled to good flights and hotels, any international footballer should expect that, but organising things is not easy in Afghanistan. There are limits on oversees transactions. There were no sponsors. Who wanted to sponsor a team that wasn’t winning? Outside help was needed from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
“If I delivered that, the players had to trust me and if they did, they would soon see improvements. And if they had an issue with the federation they should come to me and not social media. I would then do my best to sort the issues out.”
Westwood’s first game, World Cup chances?
The first time Westwood took charge was ahead of their World Cup qualifier against Qatar, a match which would see him facing off with former Manchester United coaching staff member, Carlos Queiroz.
He was faced with a huge issue. Eighteen of his squad members were still boycotting the Afghan Football Federation, meaning Westwood had to field what was more than a makeshift side – and it showed on the pitch.
“In my first training sessions, I had 19 players based in Afghanistan. The problem is that most were not playing regular football as the league isn’t fully established. So they weren’t fit enough. We had them fitted with GPS systems because my assistant called a favour in from StatSports. The stats were nowhere near good enough. We got smashed 8-1,” the former Manchester United man says.
“It could have been 18-1. I had to stand on the side and take it but I kept trying to drive the team on. Tim Cahill was Qatar’s assistant. Qatar’s coaching staff were apologetic as they looked at me and said things like, ‘You have got the toughest job in football here’. I didn’t want sympathy. Kuwait were next. The lads were badly damaged by the 8-1 and we lost 4-0 against Kuwait, yet I already saw improvements.”
“I need the Afghan domestic league to be played regularly to help with player fitness, but until that happens I have to look around the world for eligible players who had an Afghanistan passport, or who could apply for them. For our third camp, we had players from 17 different countries: Canada, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Thailand, India, New Zealand, Australia. We search on social media for players of Afghan origin.
“We spoke to one in Sweden who said, ‘Look, I’m about to make my debut for Sweden.’ And he did. I’m trying to convince a player who’d been at Leverkusen. I found a young lad, Amin (Nabizada), at Watford. I saw him on the bench in a game and noticed his name. He’s 16 and decent. He came to the camp after I had a chat with Watford as I knew people there. They trusted us, saw that we did proper GPS stats.”
Things got better for Westwood…
Two World Cup qualifiers against India followed in March, where the Indian side were heavy favourites to do a double over the Afghans. However, the result shocked many.
“We drew 0-0 ‘at home’ in Saudi and the responses to the training were clear. I’d brought my assistant Matt Holland. We worked together in India. He’s the sh*t Matt Holland (another was a Premier League regular), just like I’m the sh*t Ashley Westwood. And our physio Scott Tomkins, who doesn’t have a doppelganger. This job is not going to make us millionaires, but we’re going to go for it and do a good job of what is a massive job.”
He then faced an away trip to India just five days later, where Westwood’s finest moment at the helm of the international side beckoned.
“We flew to Abu Dhabi where we’d only have 45 minutes to make the connection. I made all the lads put one pair of boots, a training kit and a match kit in a rucksack as hand luggage in case our bags weren’t transferred. I planned for everything. We got to Bangalore airport in India and I marched my boys out of it like Mighty Ducks because I knew there was a hotel opposite the airport from when I’d managed in India. We got there at 7pm. We paid for that hotel with money we’d earmarked to pay for our Indian visas, which we didn’t end up needing to pay.
“By that time, I was thinking, ‘We’ve had a free meal on the Etihad flight and were about to get a nice breakfast after a good night’s sleep. In the morning, I marched the boys back into the airport for an 11.30 flight to Guwahati and we landed 20 minutes after the India team. Yet we’d had three good meals and a night’s sleep, while they’d travelled for 24 hours via Dubai and Delhi and through the night. We were ahead of them in terms of recovery.”
“We were in the same hotel as India. We made it like our home. We played a game of head tennis in the pool knowing that the Indians would be watching and see our excellent team spirit. When you can see a team with a good spirit and you’re in a team when it’s not quite right, it hurts.”
India took the lead…
However, despite Westwood’s confidence, his side went behind. A 38th-minute goal from India meant Afghanistan headed into halftime a goal down. The former Manchester United academy star man didn’t let it dampen the spirits.
“At half time, I explained what we’d done right and why we’d conceded. Then I said, ‘Listen boys. I am telling you now that we are going to beat these. I know football, I know tactically where we are compared to them. We’re winning this’. I’d also done a lot of research into India and how they played.
“Then Rahmat Akbari, who plays for Steve Kean’s side in Georgia (Torpedo Kutaisi) equalised for us. He’s also played in Australia’s A-League, he’s a good player. Then Mukhammad Sharif stepped up in the 88th minute to take a penalty. He lives in Russia and hadn’t played for seven months. He scored. Brilliant.”
A remarkable moment, and potentially a turning point for an international side that hasn’t been taken seriously in the world of football in the past. Westwood is changing just that.
What’s next for Afghanistan and Ashley Westwood?
The ultimate goal? Westwood wants to manage Afghanistan at the World Cup in the United States of America in 2026.
They currently sit third in their qualifying group but have a vital clash against Kuwait which could see them overtake India in the rankings. It’s entirely plausible they could advance.
The story is an inspiring one. We initially want to say thanks to Andy Mitten of The Athletic for digging out such a sensational piece, and secondly, we wish Westwood the best of luck in his future endeavours on the Afghanistan international stage.
Erik ten Hag’s successor? Probably not, but he’s doing a remarkable job in a nation renowned for little football ability.