Dan Ashworth leaves Man United: His history, players signed, net worth and footballing son Zac

Ashworth joined United on July 1, having been described by part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe as “one of the top sporting directors in the world”. It’s reported that Manchester United paid Newcastle £10m compensation for his services - after originally being told the price would be £20m.

But the Athletic reported that his transition has not gone smoothly and his departure was agreed in a meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada after Saturday’s 3-2 Premier League defeat to Nottingham Forest. The Athletic said that Ratcliffe had played a key role in the decision.

Ashworth had, along with the rest of Ratcliffe’s Ineos hierarchy, been part of the decision to hand former manager Erik ten Hag a new contract in the summer, having been quoted in the official announcement in June.

However, Ten Hag was sacked in October, with that contract extension adding to a sizable compensation bill of £10.4million, before the appointment of Ruben Amorim, who took charge last month after United paid around £11m to get him from Sporting Lisbon.

Ashworth was also heavily involved in an expensive summer of recruitment, with the combined fees for Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee costing around £200m.

United spent around five months trying to prise Ashworth out of his previous role at Newcastle, with the 53-year-old going on gardening leave, but Ineos must now try again to fill one of the most important roles at the club.

Who is Dan Ashworth?

The 53-year-old has had the reputation as being one of the best in the business in football club administration, with a particular focus on player recruitment. He previously worked at West Brom, where he helped to oversee two promotions and two top-half Premier League finishes. He has worked for the FA as a director of elite development but really came to prominence at Newcastle.

Dan Ashworth’s footballer son

It is Dan Ashworth in the headlines today but he also has a footballing son. Zac Ashworth was previously on the books at West Brom and is now at Blackpool, having signed a three-year deal in the summer.

Ashworth junior joined the West Brom academy at just 10 years old and worked his way up through the ranks. He made his senior debut in an FA Cup match against Brighton in January 2022. The full-back is also a Wales under-21 player.

Dan Ashworth’s net worth

Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth is reported to have an impressive net worth of at least £4 million. The football bigwig's earnings have come from his roles at West Brom, Brighton and Newcastle United in recent years. The Daily Mail reported he was on a salary of £1.5m at Newcastle United.

Ashworth did enjoy his own brief playing year at Eastbourne Town but won't have been on the huge contracts that stars are on today. The former College of West Anglia scholar has also worked as a football coach and academy director at Peterborough United.