Sir Jim Ratcliffe's admiration for Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth will not be enough for Manchester United to prise the 52-year-old away from St James' Park, according to reports.

United appear to have finally brought their long takeover saga to an end with Ratcliffe set to join the Glazers as co-owners.

Reports have indicated that Ratcliffe's INEOS group will take over football operations of the Old Trafford outfit.

Any change in ownership usually leads to some changes behind the scenes with new ideas brought to the table.

With United stagnating over the past few years, pressure will be on the likes of John Murtough and Richard Arnold to make a good impression.

But the i suggest that United's impending new co-owners could oversee a complete 'restructure of football operations'.

A new director of football is named as a big possibility, which would in turn threaten Murtough and Arnold's respective roles at Old Trafford.

Former Liverpool chief Michael Edwards and Paul Mitchell are two names touted as potential options, largely due to their current availability.

However, the report states that Ratcliffe is a fan of the work Ashworth has done at Newcastle.

Ashworth took up the position as Newcastle's sporting director in February 2022 and has been responsible for signings such as Alexander Isak, Sven Botman, Nick Pope, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali among others.

His business at Newcastle has helped Eddie Howe's side return to Champions League football and push them to serious challengers towards the top of the table.

But Ratcliffe may be left frustrated in any attempts to poach Ashworth away from St James' Park.

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