Ashworth in discussions over potential FA return

Former Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth is in discussions with the Football Association about a potential return to the governing body.

Sources have said the role he is in talks over would be to oversee both the men's and women's technical operations and the next stage of the refurbishment of St George's Park, home to all of England's teams.

Ashworth was sacked by Manchester United in December having spent just five months at Old Trafford, after Ineos hired him from Newcastle United.

The 54-year-old was previously at the FA between 2012 and 2018.

John McDermott, the FA's technical director, would stay in his position.

The FA has declined to comment.

Last month, it was established through United's accounts that hiring and firing Ashworth cost £4.1m, but the club are refusing to say if there would be any reduction in that figure if he returned to the FA.

In February, it was also revealed Ashworth was working with Warwickshire County Cricket Club, advising on performance strategy.

However, sources told BBC Sport this was a continuation of a voluntary role he took up with the club in 2021, and that it remained an unpaid position.

As a player, Ashworth was at Norwich City's academy and spent a season at Peterborough United as their academy director before becoming centre of excellence director at Cambridge United.

Ashworth, who has a Uefa pro licence, left that role in 2004 to join West Brom and he became their sporting and technical director before he was appointed England's director of elite development in September 2012.

He was in charge of the England's elite men's and women's teams as well as FA education and coaching.

England's men's side, under manager Roy Hodgson, failed to win a match at the 2014 World Cup and suffered an embarrassing loss to Iceland in the last-16 at Euro 2016, with Hodgson immediately resigning.

Gareth Southgate was his replacement and he guided England to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, their best performance since 1990.

While Ashworth was at the FA, the England women's team also reached a World Cup semi-final, losing to Japan in 2015.

After the 2018 World Cup, Ashworth left the FA to become technical director at Brighton, before he took up the position of sporting director at Newcastle in February 2022.

He stayed there for two years before Manchester United made an official approach to Newcastle for Ashworth, who was placed on gardening leave for five months before he was able to start at Old Trafford in July 2024.

But he only lasted five months in the role in a 2024-25 season that has seen Manchester United struggling in the Premier League and them sack manager Erik ten Hag in October.

In an interview with BBC Sport earlier this month Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe called hiring Ashworth "an error on our part".