If the Red Devils are committed to enacting genuine change at Old Trafford, they need to pay Newcastle what they want
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is used to side-stepping difficult questions in press conferences, but even he struggled to evade the media's recent bombardment regarding the future of sporting director Dan Ashworth. Ex-England development chief Ashworth has been heavily tipped to join Manchester United and, speaking before his side's draw with Bournemouth on Saturday, Howe admitted that his presence at the game felt a little strange.
Asked whether the 52-year-old should even still be working at the club, due to the sensitive information he has access to, the Magpies boss replied: "That is not a question I can answer, it is for someone above me. I think your concerns are relevant. I share your feelings."
Newcastle's decision-makers were clearly listening to this uncomfortable press conference, and on Monday, Ashworth was placed on gardening leave while the club hammered out terms with United. If he does make the move to one of the world's biggest sporting institutions, it would represent a quite staggering rise, considering his unexceptional early football career.
Getty ImagesHumble beginnings
Long before he was placed in charge of an entire nation's footballing future, Ashworth was released by Norwich City as a youngster. Wanting to stay in the game, he took in non-league spells at the likes of Eastbourne Town and St. Leonards, as well as travelling to the United States to play at West Florida Fury. He supplemented his income by working as a PE teacher.
But he soon discovered that his talents may be better utilised off the pitch, rather than on it. Ashworth earned his first coaching badge as a teenager and after his modest playing career came to an end, he took over as Peterborough's academy director at the turn of the millennium.
A year later, he would be appointed Cambridge United's centre of excellence director and soon started turning heads. So much so that, in March 2004, Aidy Boothroyd recruited him to assist in the running of West Brom's own youth development centre.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe big break
Boothroyd's departure for Leeds United a few months later kickstarted Ashworth's ascent to the top. Instead of hiring from the outside, West Brom promoted him to the top job, placing the young man in charge of all of the Baggies' youth development.
Chairman Jeremy Peace was seriously impressed with his performance in this position, and three years into his tenure he was bumped up again, this time to sporting and technical director. While this kind of role is now familiar to British football fans, at the time it was a bold step. Then-West Brom manager Tony Mowbray was certainly impressed, lavishing both Peace and Ashworth with praise in a recent interview with .
“Dan took a lot of the burden off me,” he said. “I’d even call Jeremy Peace a bit of a visionary for appointing him.” He added: “Dan’s very good at bringing people together and getting the maximum out of everything and everyone. He dilutes conflict and oils the machine to make it run seamlessly.”
GettyThe impossible job
And it wasn't just Mowbray that Ashworth impressed during his time at The Hawthorns. By the early 2010s, English football's powerbrokers were also taking notice.
In 2012, the Three Lions were at the lowest ebb of their modern history. The men's 'Golden Generation' had not lived up to their sky-high potential, failing to deliver a single piece of silverware, while the women's team were reaching the end of the Hope Powell era, with chronic underfunding contributing to disappointing tournament finishes in 2011 and 2013.
It was in this deflated atmosphere that Ashworth began work as England's director of elite development. He was given a wide-ranging remit, being tasked with making the country's new St George's Park training base feel like home, as well as orchestrating a turnaround in fortunes at the men's, women's and youth-team levels.
It would be simplistic to say that Ashworth's work is entirely embodied in the England DNA document he helped draft, though it provides an extremely useful insight into his influence.
(C)GettyImagesEngland DNA
Published in 2014, Ashworth said at the time: “As a football nation we have long been characterised by our passion, fighting spirit and effort. Although there are aspects of these characteristics we wish to retain, we do not wish to be solely defined by them.”
The blueprint was long, but the most relevant sections were a detailed breakdown outlining the various England teams' collective style of play. Key points were a desire to "intelligently dominate possession, selecting the right moments to progress the play and penetrate the opposition" and aiming "to regain possession intelligently and as early and as efficiently as possible."
There was a focus on uniformity through the age groups, too. "England development teams will play with tactical flexibility, influenced by the profile of the players and the requirements of the match or competition," another passage read.
The other key aspect detailed what the "future England player" would look like, with "technical, tactical, physical, psychological and social" elements all emphasised. This holistic approach was much needed, as part of the failure of the 'Golden Generation' was down to players from competing Premier League clubs being unable to put rivalries aside when they met up for international camps, as well as the collective mental strain so many years of failure took on the group.
In addition, during Ashworth's time at the helm, the popularity of all England teams has skyrocketed, with the strict code of conduct he helped implement a big reason why.