Dan Ashworth ‘getting revenge on Newcastle’ as ‘Man Utd analyst forced to do gardening leave before switching to rivals’

DAN ASHWORTH is reportedly getting revenge on Newcastle in their pursuit of a Manchester United analyst.

The United sporting director was forced into a period of gardening leave when he decided to swap Newcastle for Old Trafford in February.

PA

Dan Ashworth is reportedly getting his revenge on Newcastle[/caption]

Ashworth did not officially start his role at Old Trafford until June, after United and Newcastle agreed a compensation package.

Now the shoe is on the other foot with Newcastle chasing United analyst Luke Dickson.

Earlier this year Dickson reportedly told his United bosses he wanted to leave to take a job at Newcastle.

But United chiefs told Dickson he would not be able to start his new role at St. James’ Park until November, according to the Daily Mail.

The blockage reportedly frustrated key figures at Newcastle who viewed the move as a tit-for-tat response to Ashworth’s attempt to leave the club.

Dickson, 28, has spent five years at Old Trafford as the club’s lead academy analyst and had to see out the remainder of his contract on gardening leave.

Newcastle is his boyhood club and Dickson is set to join Eddie Howe‘s first-team set-up.

Ashworth, 53, left Newcastle on bad terms after he reportedly revealed his secret talks with United chief executive Omar Berrada.

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The pair are alleged to have held a conversation at the start of February which led to Ashworth following it up by sending Berrada an email to an Ineos account.

He is claimed to have made it clear he wanted to accept the chance to become sporting director at United.

However, Ashworth “clumsily” disclosed to his employers the negotiations with Berrada by sending a blind copy to his own Newcastle club email account at a time when United had not informed Toon of their interest.