Who will replace Dan Ashworth? Man United searching for new sporting director

The sporting director arrived at Old Trafford on July 1 after a period of gardening leave from Newcastle.

talkSPORT understands that the Red Devils paid £10 million in compensation to the Toon for Ashworth.

However, it was announced in December 2024 that he'd mutually departed the club.

The former Brighton transfer guru was a key factor in Erik ten Hag signing a new contract in the summer, while he played a big role in the £183m transfer spend as well.

Joshua Zirkzee was a player who Ashworth played a huge role in acquiring, and he's yet to live up to expectations.

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talkSPORT's chief football correspondent Alex Crook revealed that Sir Jim Ratcliffe played a big part in Ashworth leaving the club, and he'll now have to find a replacement.

Who will replace Dan Ashworth?

Dougie Freedman

The early bookies favourite is Crystal Palace director of football Dougie Freedman.

Freedman has been in the role at Selhurst Park since 2017 after abandoning his managerial career in 2016.

The Scotsman has helped turn Palace into a solid Premier League team and was responsible for signing players including Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi and Michael Olise.

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He was picked out by Newcastle as their first-choice to replace Ashworth, but he opted to remain in south London, with Toon picking up Paul Mitchell.

However, Freedman is said to have a close relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson after the pair met in 2011 when the Eagles beat Man United in a cup tie.

They even became neighbours when Freedman managed Bolton Wanderers, so that could play a huge part in bringing the Scotsman to Old Trafford.

Jason Wilcox

Man United might elect to choose an internal candidate in an effort to save money.

After sacking Ten Hag and having Ashworth leave, the Red Devils have splashed out an awful lot on compensation, which means they ideally won't want to pay more.

That is where Wilcox comes in because he's already at Old Trafford working as the club's technical director.

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He joined the club earlier this year from Southampton and knows Man United CEO Omar Berrada from their time working at Manchester City.

Wilcox had a rapid rise at City, working his way up from coach to the academy director.

The City academy has produced some excellent players in recent years, including Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia, so he can clearly spot talent.

While working as Southampton's director of football, the Saints signed Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Man City on loan.

Luis Campos

If Man United want to get back to the top, they should be looking at the best in class, and that is Luis Campos.

The 60-year-old has worked for some of Europe's biggest clubs having helped create title-winning teams at Monaco and Lille.

Both sides managed to overcome the might of Paris Saint-Germain to become French champions for a season, and that was largely down to the players that Campos found.

A few of his gems include Gabriel Magalhaes, Bernardo Silva and Fabinho.

Campos was also one of the first to notice a certain Kylian Mbappe in the Monaco youth team, and the rest is history.

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Campos is currently at PSG, and his contract expires in the summer of 2025, with no new deal in sight.

However, if Man United want him, they'll have to act quickly because Arsenal have been linked as they search for Edu Gaspar's replacement.