Gareth Southgate set for surprise Dan Ashworth reunion?

According to reports this week, Manchester United have identified England boss Gareth Southgate as their number one target to replace Erik ten Hag.

It’s claimed Dan Ashworth – who will officially start work at Old Trafford once a compensation package is agreed – is eager to work with Southgate again and suggests the 53-year-old is sowing seeds behind the scenes.

Ashworth’s links to Southgate go back to their time together within the FA, where our former sporting director worked as the director of elite development between 2012 and 2018; a period which overlapped with Southgate’s transition from England under-21 coach and to the manager of the Three Lions’ senior team.

It’s also claimed Southgate, Ashworth and Sir Dave Brailsford have been part of a WhatsApp group that shares ‘High Performance Ideas’ for several years, so there’s clear history between the current England boss and those coming into power at Old Trafford. 

In all honesty, I’d be more than happy to see Southgate at Man Utd from a Newcastle perspective. He’s done some great things for England, but I’d have serious doubts about his ability to deliver success, trophies and the right brand of football to a Man Utd team desperate to get back to the very top of English football.

Time will tell if ten Hag stays or Southgate departs after the 2023/24 season and Euro 2024, but Gary Neville believes it’s a move that looks increasingly likely now Ashworth has arrived on the scene.

‘I never saw Gareth Southgate as a Manchester United manager, psychologically, I never saw that. I can see it now, now Dan Ashworth has come in,’ Neville told the Stick to Football podcast.

‘I just think, what does Erik ten Hag need to do to stay as Manchester United manager? So, for instance, is the FA Cup enough, or does he need to get top four, or top five, Champions League

‘I think if Gareth is leaving, I think to be honest with you, you’ll have seen this in tournaments, but it’s never been easy. England will have qualifiers starting up again a couple of months after the tournament, so they’ll have to have a new manager in. And Gareth will need to sort his future out, to get a club for potentially the start of next season.

‘So, I think if it’s done maturely, I can see how it would be brought forward in terms of Gareth. Forget Manchester United, England would need to appoint a new manager. So, they are going to have to appoint a new manager pre-tournament [the Euros this summer], probably.’

Gareth Southgate has the backing of Dan Ashworth, knows key figures in the dressing room and is in a WhatsApp group with Sir Dave Brailsford… why Man United 'have the England boss as their No 1 target' https://t.co/vxhvei4XPk

— Mail Sport (@MailSport) March 21, 2024