Former Man United sporting director Dan Ashworth returns to FA | OneFootball

Former Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth has returned to the Football Association as their first chief football officer.

The newly-created role will see Ashworth lead the FA’s high performance strategy, with his responsibilities ranging from developing successful England teams to growing the number of homegrown coaches.

Another one of his tasks will be to oversee the regeneration of St George’s Park. The state-of-the-art training base will undergo a significant upgrade ahead of Euro 2028, which England will co-host.

Ashworth was previously at the FA between 2013 and 2019, where he was initially director of elite development, before becoming technical director at English football’s national governing body.

After leaving the FA, he held a director role at Brighton & Hove Albion, before joining a freshly taken-over Newcastle United as their sporting director in 2022, and was most recently United.

He left Old Trafford in December 2024 after spending just five months as sporting director, with his hiring and firing costing the Red Devils £4.1 million.

In his brief time with United, Ashworth oversaw the arrival of £200 million worth of signings and the decision to fire Erik ten Hag in October.

Man United co-owner Sir Jim Radcliffe called the appointment “an error on our part” having previously stated Ashworth was the best at what he does.

The 54-year-old will work closely with men’s technical director John McDermott and Kay Cossington’s successor in the women’s technical directorate, while reporting to FA CEO Mark Bullingham.

In a statement from Bullingham, it says: “Dan is a hugely influential and respected figure in the game, who has a long-standing commitment to England Football.

“We are very happy to welcome him back in this new role.”

Ashworth made his name as a sports administrator at Peterborough and Cambridge, before becoming West Bromwich Albion’s sporting and technical director, his last job before his first stint at the FA.