Dan Ashworth sent an email to a Newcastle United address accidentally revealing that he was being tapped by Manchester United’s new CEO Omar Berrada, who was still on garden leave from Manchester City.
It is an embarrassing blunder and error of judgment on the part of the two men who will be blamed by new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe for Man United’s restructuring, and which the Premier League could look into.
We can reveal the pair had a chat in early February and Ashworth followed that up by sending an email to Berrada – on an INEOS account – making it clear he would accept the opportunity to become Man United’s sporting director .
However, Ashworth sent a blind copy to his own email address in Newcastle, clumsily revealing the secret negotiations with Berrada to the club. Man United had not informed Newcastle of their interest in Ashworth at the time.
Berrada doesn’t officially start at Old Trafford until July 13 and was on garden leave from Man City for less than a month when he entered into talks with Ashworth, potentially breaching the terms of his contract.
Dan Ashworth accidentally informed Newcastle that he was being tapped by new Man United CEO Omar Berrada, who was still on garden leave from Man City
Berrada does not start at United until July 13 and was on garden leave for less than a month when he entered into talks with Ashworth, potentially breaching the terms of his contract with City.
Berrada and Ashworth will be tasked with reviving Man United’s faltering fortunes
We understand that Ashworth also revealed details to Berrada about the Newcastle-Brighton deal that would see him move to St James’ Park in the summer of 2022. This would likely be a breach of confidentiality for Newcastle and Brighton.
The 53-year-old eventually informed Newcastle of his wish to join Man United on February 18 and was placed on gardening leave, a period that Ratcliffe said will expire at the end of 2025.
Manchester United have not yet made an acceptable offer to Newcastle to bring forward that date and Ashworth will reportedly take the club to arbitration in an attempt to force his transfer.
Ratcliffe appeared to take a dig at Newcastle last month when he said: ‘One of the biggest problems we have in football is getting these new boys into the team, they’re really capable people but they’re all busy gardening . to leave. So it takes six months, a year or even eighteen months (before they start). It’s a real problem in football at the moment.’
In February, Ratcliffe said: “Personally I think it’s a bit stupid. What I do find completely absurd is the suggestion that a man who is really good at his job spends a year and a half in his garden.
Ashworth also revealed details to Berrada of the Newcastle-Brighton deal that took him to St James’ Park in the summer of 2022, which involved a potential breach of confidentiality.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe previously took a dig at Newcastle over Ashworth’s move to United
‘We had a very mature conversation with City about Omar Berrada. When everything was ready, we resolved it very kindly. They understood why he wanted to take on that challenge. You look at Pep (Guardiola) when he has finished with one of his footballers: he doesn’t want them to sit in the garden for a year and a half. He does not do that. That’s not the way Britain works and the law doesn’t work.’
But all the while, the ‘capable people’ Ratcliffe spoke of may have been breaching Premier League guidelines. There is increasing talk in football circles about the INEOS chief not understanding how the industry works and he has angered Man United employees by cutting employee benefits around the FA Cup final. He has also banned working from home, which has upset some within the club.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have steadfastly waited for what they see as a fair offer to release Ashworth from his gardening leave.
Mail Sport contacted Newcastle but they declined to comment. Manchester United declined to comment. Manchester City declined to comment.
The Premier League Rules state that each club, director and officer must behave ‘with the utmost good faith’ towards each other and that it would be an offense if they ‘acted unfairly towards another club’ or ‘engaged with conduct intended to circumvent these rules’.