Manchester United sporting director target Dan Ashworth has apparently "agreed terms" with the Red Devils as he looks to leave Newcastle United for Old Trafford. Ashworth has told the Magpies' hierarchy that he's "going" after receiving an approach from Jim Ratcliffe, though the two clubs must still come to an agreement.
On that note, journalist Ben Jacobs has told GiveMeSport that Newcastle are prepared to let him go as long as their "financial conditions are met". There's a feeling that the matter could be resolved "really, really fast" so that both clubs can move forward with preparations for the summer transfer window.
"If he indicates, as expected, that he wishes to leave, Newcastle won't stand in his way as long as the financial conditions are met, either contractually or negotiated, to allow him to start earlier at Manchester United.
"The expectation is that this will move really, really fast now, not just because of the completion of Ratcliffe's stake, but also because Newcastle want it resolved as quickly as possible. They need to start planning for the summer as well, with or without Ashworth."
Ashworth's Ten Hag doubts
Now, in a fresh Ashworth update from Football Insider, his and Sir Jim Ratcliffe's feelings on United manager Erik ten Hag have been revealed. Together, they don't see the Dutchman as a viable "long-term" solution for the Red Devils.
While Ten Hag is expected to be safe for the time being, his position is "under threat" heading into next season. Some of United's performances, alongside their exit from the Champions League, have been deemed "unacceptable".
Stats paint damning picture despite recent improvement
Things have been looking up for United and Ten Hag in recent weeks. They've rattled off three Premier League victories in a row, scoring late goals away to Wolves and top-four rivals Aston Villa, and they've also booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
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But they still can't hide from the reality that they should be doing an awful lot better. Since Ten Hag arrived, United's net spend of £333m is the second-highest in the league behind Chelsea (£692m), and so it's fair to expect much more.
One way to measure coaching performance is to look at a team's expected goal difference. This gives us an insight into the quality of chances they're creating within their attacking set-up, as well as the ease with which opponents are bypassing their defensive structure. Damningly, United have actually posted a negative figure up to this point, ranking 12th in the league below Bournemouth and relegation candidates Everton.
Rank
Club
xGD
1
Arsenal
+30.1
2
Manchester City
+23.2
3
Liverpool
+22.4
4
Aston Villa
+10.7
5
Chelsea
+10.2
6
Brentford
+5.8
7
Newcastle United
+4.2
8
Brighton and Hove Albion
+3.7
9
Everton
+2.9
10
Tottenham Hotspur
+1.0
11
Bournemouth
-3.7
12
Manchester United
-3.9
13
Nottingham Forest
-7.3
14
Wolves
-8.1
15
Crystal Palace
-8.5
16
West Ham
-10.3
17
Fulham
-12.1
18
Luton Town
-17.2
19
Burnley
-18.4
20
Sheffield United
-24.7
In Europe, United should have arguably eased through a group that featured Copenhagen and Galatasaray, but ended up finishing bottom, and many may have seen that as grounds to pull the trigger on Ten Hag in the context of the team's league struggles. Instead, he's hung on, but you feel that he must salvage Champions League qualification from here to ensure he keeps his job heading into a new era.