Dan Ashworth will ensure Man United don’t repeat costly mistake, he’s already got a solution

Dan Ashworth will look to ensure that Manchester United do not repeat one costly mistake from 2022, with one solution already at Old Trafford.

After a lengthy negotiation process between United and Newcastle, 53-year-old Ashworth has officially been appointed as the Reds’ sporting director.

Ashworth, a specialist in player transfers, will oversee all football-related matters at Old Trafford alongside technical director Jason Wilcox and director of global talent Christopher Vivell.

However, United are currently operating with one hand tied behind their back in the transfer market. The majority of their planned additions rest on the club being able to sell various members of the squad.

That is because of the club’s reckless spending in recent years. Antony’s signing from Ajax in 2022 for £85 million is probably the best example.

Shockingly, with Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood both likely to depart the club in the coming months, United are once again linked with signing a right-winger.

However, it seems unlikely that they will splash out the cash. Ashworth has already explained the process of identifying what the team needs and whether there are solutions in-house before exploring the transfer market.

He said in 2020: “So how do we work here? Well, we agree the areas of the pitch that Graham [Potter] wants to improve. Our first port of call is, ‘What have we already got in the system?’ There have been times when Graham has said: ‘I’d rather work with what we’ve got and make them better than sign a player for the sake of it.’

“But if we haven’t got that position in the U23s or out on loan, then we need to go into the market.”

Thankfully for United, they already have the perfect option in the squad. Amad Diallo showed his talents at the back end of last term but is ready for a more prominent role in Erik ten Hag’s squad.

With several other more pressing transfer priorities, Ashworth and the Old Trafford leadership should recognise that the internal option for the right-wing position is staring them in the face.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Thursday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.