Blow for Sir Jim Ratcliffe & Man Utd? Sporting director Dan Ashworth is ‘happy’ and ‘enjoying his time’ at Newcastle, insists Magpies CEO

The Old Trafford club has been eyeing Ashworth since Jim Ratcliffe's partial takeover, last December. The interest from United stems from their desire for a new football chief who will be tasked to lead the club's reconstruction alongside INEOS' sporting chief Dave Brailsford. However, Eales remains optimistic about retaining Ashworth in his current role and also affirmed his commitment to the project at St. James' Park.

Speaking to reporters, Eales said: "Dan spoke on the record recently about being happy in the project. We go back to our days at West Bromwich Albion where we worked together. Dan's done a great job, there's a lot more work to be done and we're hopeful he's here for the long term. He's certainly enjoying his time at the moment.”‌

Head coach, Eddie Howe, was under scrutiny due to the lean patch of form which saw Newcastle lose nine times in 13 games. However, Eales reaffirmed their trust in Howe and said: "Eddie has done a remarkable job, so really important. If you think, sometimes you have to pinch yourself that we were 19th and fearing relegation and then last season for the first time in 20 years we got to play in a Wembley final and we qualified for Champions League. There's no doubt we have had that real progression on the pitch and Eddie is a huge, integral part of that. We hope he is going to be with us for many years to come.”

Although Newcastle have been linked with a host of stars in the January transfer window, including Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips and AS Roma's Paulo Dybala, Eales admitted that the club is walking on a tightrope with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules and they might have to sell before making any additions.

“It’s difficult to say specifically on certain players, but I can say that if we’re going to get to where we want to get to, at times it is necessary to trade your players," he added. “Any decision we make will always be against the backdrop of the medium to long-term benefit for the club.

“Whether that is because of the contract length of the player in question, the offer is too good to refuse, you need to reload in certain areas, but all of this could make sense to trade that player. It is counter-intuitive and part of the inherent system of PSR that there is an incentive to trade your players if you want to re-invest.”

Howe will rally his troops next against Man City in a crunch Premier League fixture on Saturday after a convincing 3-0 win over Sunderland in the FA Cup.