Humiliated sporting director could now return to previous role a year after leaving Newcastle United

The wild ride that is Dan Ashworth's career could be about to take another turn. A U-turn, in fact, as the former Newcastle United sporting director is being linked with a role at The FA.

Dan Ashworth left Newcastle United under a cloud after just two years into his long-term contract.

The former Brighton man had been speaking to Sir Jim Ratcliffe as the INEOS billionaire negotiated his buy-in into Manchester United and rumours were that Ashworth would leave Newcastle for Man United once the deal was done.

That ended up being the case, but Newcastle placed Ashworth on gardening leave while the two clubs negotiated a settlement figure. Those talks went on for months before Ashworth, who handed his notice in in February of 2024, finally took up his role at Manchester United in July of the same year.

Getty Images

Dan Ashworth has been linked with a return to The FA after leaving Manchester United

Five months later, Ashworth was relieved of his duties at Manchester United with the club late admitting that they had made an 'error' with their recruitment.

Earlier this month it was reported that Dan Ashworth was set to reunite with the PIF as a sporting director for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr.

But now, a report has surfaced saying that Ashworth is in talks to return to The FA to oversee the St George's Park 2.0 project, a huge refurbishment of the England camp, according to The Telegraph.

Dan Ashworth was genuinely successful when he worked at The FA before

Ashworth previously worked for The FA and oversaw the transformation of the entire England set-up, creating a clear throughline from the youth level to the first team.

He revolutionised how the England football team operated, and it was that work that made Newcastle United take notice with the PIF hoping he would deliver a similar system at Newcastle.

The FA have yet to comment on the rumours, but The FA was probably where Ashworth did his best work, so it would make sense for him to return there. Clearly, the stint as Brighton's sporting director was just a fluke.