Manchester United are reportedly facing the blow of their recruitment team not being fully up to speed this summer as Newcastle hold firm over Dan Ashworth.
The Magpies are demanding £20million to let Ashworth leave and join Man Utd, which could mean the club are not fully able to do everything they’d like this summer, according to ESPN.
Ashworth has impressed at Newcastle and other previous roles, so it’s not too surprising the Red Devils want him as an ideal candidate to come in for a director role.
United’s recruitment has been poor for many years now, with the club blowing large sums of cash on numerous flop signings in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Ashworth is surely the kind of figure they need to help them catch up with rivals like Liverpool and Arsenal, who have tended to do get more out of their signings despite often spending less money on transfer fees and wages.
Dan Ashworth to Manchester United move has been delayedAshworth to Man United delay could hurt the club in the transfer market
According to ESPN, sources have said that club bosses accept the recruitment “will not be up to full speed” without Ashworth, but it seems there’s little progress being made on efforts to get him through the door at Old Trafford.

The report states that Newcastle want £20m for Ashworth, and while that’s clearly a lot of compensation to pay, it could perhaps be a smart long-term investment if it helps really turn the club around in the transfer market.
MUFC can’t continue as they are, with more poor signings in the last couple of years, such as Mason Mount, Antony and Andre Onana, so even if they won’t want to pay £20m for Ashworth, it might actually end up saving them money in the long run if he can come in and sort out their transfer business sooner.