Former Man United director Dan Ashworth set to join FA as head of elite men’s and women’s development

Dan Ashworth is to return to football after just five months at Manchester United. He is soon going to be appointed to a senior job with the Football Association (FA) as head of elite men’s and women’s development. This will be his first formal position since his expensive and brief stint at Old Trafford was over in December 2024.Dan Ashworth signed up for Manchester United in the middle of 2024 after the club negotiated with Siden, who was working with Newcastle United, where he was the sporting director. The negotiations took time, and the price of the hiring was not cheap. Manchester United reportedly paid between £2m and £3m to get Ashworth, and his total hiring and exit package is believed to have cost the club around £4.1m.Despite being involved in a transfer window where Manchester United spent nearly £200m, Ashworth left by mutual agreement after just 159 days. Club co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe later admitted in an interview that hiring Ashworth had been “an error on our part,” and said that the decision was affected by a lack of chemistry.After leaving United, Ashworth did not take on another football job. However, he continued his free advisory job with Warwickshire County Cricket Club, which he had started in 2021.This is a new role for Ashworth for FA, who had previously worked for the organisation from 2012 to 2018. The U17 and U20 sides also won the World Cup for England in 2017, while the Under-19 team won the European title.In his new job, Ashworth will oversee the development of both men's and women’s teams at junior and senior levels. A big part of his job will also involve supporting the growth of homegrown coaching talent, as only two current Premier League managers are English.He is also expected to help lead the next stage of upgrades at St George’s Park, the national football centre. While the FA has not made an official comment, reports say Ashworth will work closely with current technical directors while taking charge of several key areas.Also Read: 2025 UEFA Europa League Final: When, how and where to watch Tottenham vs Man Utd clash