Dan Ashworth’s surprise career change - Lands new job after £7m Man Utd farce

2024 was, to put it lightly, a rollercoaster year for Dan Ashworth’s career.

The forming Sporting Director at Newcastle left the club in tense circumstances early in the year for the Technical Director role at Manchester United, only to be sacked by the Red Devils after less than five months in his role.

But 2025 is showing to be a little less frantic, as Ashworth has instead pivoted to a new role away from football…

Old director, new direction

According to The Times, Dan Ashworth is set to take up an advisory role with Warwickshire County Cricket Club.

This comes after a farcical few months at Old Trafford, with INEOS chiefs paying £3m in compensation to lure him from Newcastle before sacking him half a season later for a £4m pay-off.

It’s understood that the 53-year-old already has prior connections with Warwickshire CCC, and was part of their cricket audit committee back in 2021.

Elizabeth Ammon writes that Ashworth will “work with the county as a voluntary adviser on a range of matters including high performance, drawing on his experience in football.”

Bridges Burned?

Dan Ashworth’s resume, on the surface, is one of the most impressive in his field, with stints working with the FA and Brighton and Hove Albion. This is on top of the aforementioned roles at both Newcastle and Manchester United.

However, this switch in career away from a Senior role could be a sign that Ashworth’s future in football could be a little unclear.

The nature of his departures from his last three clubs alone may unfortunately attach a red flag to an individual who boasts the experience and track record of being an otherwise exceptional Sporting Director who would suit clubs like Arsenal who are in desperate need of one.

St James’ Park and Old Trafford reactions

Post Ashworth, the difference between Newcastle and Manchester United’s approach to Sporting and Technical Direction perhaps couldn’t be more different.

The Magpies have since made the stellar appointment of Paul Mitchell, and despite a rough couple transfer windows out of Mitchell’s control, the former Tottenham and Monaco man is poised to have Newcastle becoming a big player in the summer window.

Manchester United meanwhile only today confirmed the permanent appointment 38-year-old Christopher Vivell as their permanent director of recruitment, and have yet to fully fill the void left by Ashworth.

In fact, the latest set of redundancies at Old Trafford are expected to be centred around Ashworth’s former department, where it’s been hinted that Ashworth was keen to avoid seeing cuts and dismissals to those he oversaw.