Why Manchester United's pursuit of Dan Ashworth is a return to success | Premier League | NBC Sports

HAPPY SUNDAY. I’M REBECCA LOWE. TIM HOWARD AND ROBBIE MUSTOE ALONGSIDE ME. MANCHESTER UNITED THIS MORNING AND THAT’S WHERE WE’LL BEGIN. YOU’LL SEE THE REPORTS THIS WEEK LINKING DAN ASHWORTH THE NEWCASTLE UNITED SPORTING DIRECTOR TO MANCHESTER UNITED AND JASON WILCOX, THE DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL AT SOUTHAMPTON WITH A MOVE TO MANCHESTER UNITED. NONE OF THESE ARE PLAYERS. WE’RE TALKING MEN IN SUITS. >> YEAH. >> WHY ARE THEY GOING FOR THE MEN IN SUITS FIRST? >> IT’S THE ABSOLUTE RIGHT THING TO DO. AND I’LL BE STRONGEST TO SAY GUARANTEED GUARANTEES THAT THIS CLUB WILL BE IN A MUCH,

MUCH BETTER PLACE. THIS IS LONG-TERM STUFF. A COUPLE YEARS TIME, WE’LL LOOK BACK AND THIS IS WHY WE TALK ABOUT THEM BECAUSE GETTING THESE PEOPLE IN PLACE EARLY IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL FROM THE CEO. MANCHESTER CITY KNOWS WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE, DAN ASHWORTH, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. TALKED ABOUT IT SO MANY TIMES OVER THE LAST YEAR PARTICULARLY, LIKE THIS CLUB NEEDS — THE FOOTBALL SIDES OF IT NEEDS RIPPING UP AND STARTING AGAIN. I REMEMBER SAYING THAT ANY, MANY TIMES. THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO. 25% SHAREHOLDERS IN THE FOOTBALL CLUB ARE DOING, AND IT’S A

MILLION PERCENT THE RIGHT THING TO DO BECAUSE IT’S LIKE — IT’S GOING TO BE DIFFICULT TO FAIL WHEN YOU’VE GOT

PEOPLE IN THERE THAT ARE HUNGRY. DONE IT ALL BEFORE. THEY HAVE SEEN WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE, AND THEY ARE GOING TO, WITH THE MONEY THAT UNITED GENERATE BECAUSE THEY ARE A POWERHOUSE OF A FOOTBALL CLUB THEY ARE FINALLY HIRING PEOPLE FOR A CLUB LIKE MAN UNITED SHOULD HIRE. >> LET’S TALK MORE ABOUT THAT. >> THE LINK BETWEEN THE DRESS ROOM AND THE MEN IN SUITS BECAUSE THE MANY PEOPLE WATCHING ON, IT’S DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND WHY

A NEAR $1 BILLION SQUAD COULD BE IMPROVED BY A BUNCH OF EXECUTIVES. >> WELL, BECAUSE WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO RECRUITMENT, IT’S LIKE A PUZZLE, AND HAVE YOU TO PUT THINGS IN PLACE. THE RECRUITMENT HASN’T BEEN VERY GOOD. I WAS IN MANCHESTER UNITED FROM 2003 TO 2006. YOU HAD DAVID GILL, PETER KING WHO ULTIMATELY WENT TO CHELSEA AND BUILT AN EMPIRE THERE AND SIR ALEX FERGUSON, AND THE RECRUITMENT, THERE WAS SO MUCH SYNERGY. WHAT HAPPENED WHETHER ANYBODY OUT THERE LIKES IT OR NOT, MANCHESTER UNITED, THE BIGGEST CLUB IN ENGLAND AND POSSIBLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST

IN THE WORLD. EVERYBODY WANTS TO GO THERE. SIR ALEX FERGUSON BUILT THAT. ONCE HE LEFT, THEY GOT SO USED TO SUCCESS THAT THEY HAD TO FALL THIS FAR IN ORDER TO REBUILD IT, BECAUSE THEY WENT THROUGH — THEY MOWED THROW MANAGERS, BOUGHT A BUNCH OF PLAYERS. CRISTIANO RONALDO MIGHT GO TO CITY AND THEY WENT AND GOT SANCHO. HE WAS A BUST. HE’S LEFT THE FOOTBALL CLUB. THE RECRUITMENT HAS BEEN POOR SO AS YOU SAID, I SAID, ROBBIE EARLE HAS SAID COUNTLESS TIMES, IT NEEDS TO START AT THE TOP. THE STRUCTURE HAS TO BE RIPPED UP.

THEY WERE PUTTING PEOPLE IN PLACE THAT USED TO WORK AT THE CLUB OR THEY GOT A JOB BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN AT THE CLUB FOREST. THAT’S NOT HOW THIS, WOULD. YOU HAVE TO GO OUT AND GET THE BEST PEOPLE FROM OTHER CLUBS IF THAT’S THE CASE AND PUT THEM IN PLACE, AND THAT’S WHAT THEY ARE STARTING TO DO HERE. >> AND THE GLAZERS DIDN’T DO IT. >> CORRECT. >> THE GRAZERS DIDN’T DO IT. THE CLUB WASN’T WINNING AND THAT’S WHAT HURT FANS THE WORST, WATCHING THEIR NEIGHBORS WIN DOWN THE ROAD. LOOK AT THEM NOW, THE

SUCCESS THAT THEY HAVE GOT. WITH THE OWNERSHIP GOING IN THERE, THE OTHER SPORTING DIRECTIVE, YOU’LL SEE SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT AND I’LL GUARANTEE IT, IN A COUPLE YEARS TIME THIS CLUB WILL BE IN A WHOLE DIFFERENT PLACE. >> THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT ARSENAL, LIVERPOOL, MAN CITY, THEY ARE VERY SYSTEMATIC, AND THEY RARELY GET A SIGNING WRONG. OF COURSE, THEY GET WRONG OR TWO WRONG. THEY RARELY GET SIGNINGS WRONG, AND IT CAN NO LONGER BE, AND THIS IS HOW IT WAS WHEN I WAS AT MANCHESTER UNITED. WE’RE MANCHESTER UNITED. WE WANT

YOU. YOU SHOULD COME BECAUSE YOU’RE MANCHESTER UNITED, AND FOR THE MOST PART AS YOU’VE SEEN PEOPLE GO TO MANCHESTER UNITED. THAT’S NOT THE CASE ANYMORE. THERE HAS TO BE MORE OF A PLAN, MORE OF A SYSTEM AND THE TEAMS IN AND AROUND THEM, AND THEY ARE COMPETING WITH IT, THEY HAVE IT. >> WHAT’S REALLY INTERESTING ABOUT DAN ASHWORTH IS IS IT STILL ATTRACTIVE BECAUSE HERE’S ASHWORTH WHO TOOK A LONG TIME TO GET OUT OF BRIGHTON. IT WASN’T EASY FOR NEWCASTLE TO GET HIM. HE’S ONLY BEEN AT NEWCASTLE FOR A LITTLE OVER 18 MONTHS. IT’S A

MASSIVE PROJECT. THEY ARE ARGUABLY THE RICHEST CLUB IN THE WORLD ALBEIT THEY CAN’T SPEND THE MONEY YET MANCHESTER UNITED WHO ARE STRUGGLING AGAINST STRUGGLES COMES CALLING. >> IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET DAN ASHWORTH, BUT THE BIG RED LOGO BEHIND ME, THAT DRAWS PEOPLE N.EVEN DAN ASHWORTH COULD BE SAYING THIS IS MY ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO MANCHESTER UNITED AND CHANGE SOMETHING. >> IT’S TOUGH ON NEWCASTLE? >> IT IS. >> I WONDER IF THE NEW REGULATIONS, YOU JUST SAID IT, IS FINANCIAL REGULATIONS, I CAN’T DO MUCH HERE BECAUSE WE HAVEN’T GOT THE

REVENUES TO BE ABLE TO SPEND THE EXTRA MONEY THAT I’M HERE TO TRY AND MAKE GOOD DECISIONS ON, SO, YEAH. >> THAT WILL COST THEM, THE MORE MONEY THEY BRING INTO THE CLUB THE MORE MONEY THEY CAN SPEND AND THERE’S