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‘Unnerving’… Gary Neville thinks Eddie Howe will now be getting worried that Newcastle man could leave
Gary Neville has reacted to reports suggesting that Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth could be a target for Manchester United.
Dan Ashworth appears to be on the radar of the new figures at Old Trafford.
The reports that Newcastle are optimistic that Ashworth will stay at St James’ Park. And they will demand a huge compensation fee if Manchester United do decide to make a move for the 52-year-old.
Gary Neville thinks links between Dan Ashworth and Manchester United will be unnerving Eddie Howe
Gary Neville clearly believes that Ashworth remaining on Tyneside will provide a big boost to Eddie Howe as the Magpies endure a really difficult time on the pitch.
Monday’s loss to Liverpool means that Newcastle have lost seven of their last eight in all competitions. Most Newcastle fans appear to still be backing Howe; well aware of the amount of injuries the side have been dealing with.
But of course, Newcastle have had a taste of success under their new owners, qualifying for the Champions League last season.
And speaking on (broadcast on Sky Sports; 1/1; 19:07) before the game at Anfield last night, Neville admitted that he would worry for Howe a lot more if Ashworth ends up at Old Trafford.
“You mentioned Dan Ashworth, I’ve thought a lot about this in the last couple of weeks,” he said. “That will be unnerving Eddie Howe and unnerving quite a lot of people at Newcastle because he’s a very calming presence. You’d think that he would have a big influence with the owners above. And I think if Eddie Howe is to come through this difficult period, you need a strong sporting director you’ve got the backing of.
“If Dan Ashworth’s head’s been turned, and people at [Manchester] United, the new owners have been getting into him about leaving, I think that could mean a more challenging period for Eddie Howe in these next few months.”
Newcastle boss surely has enough credit in the bank right now
Of course, the situation would probably be different if Howe had had huge amounts of money to spend.
The new owners have invested in signings. But their two big deals of the summer are yet to pay off, with Sandro Tonali suspended until next season and Harvey Barnes out injured.
Howe continues to have enough credit in the bank to be given the chance to turn their fortunes around. It would certainly be a big gamble to look for a replacement given the relationship the manager has with the supporters.