Dan Ashworth is set to be unveiled as the Football Association 's new director of football operations later this week - seven months after discovering his time at Manchester United was being cut short. Ashworth , 54, garnered an impressive reputation within the game during his previous tenure with the FA before leaving in 2018. He has subsequently held roles in the Premier League at Brighton - where he once again earned plenty of plaudits for his work - and Newcastle before being pursued by United. He was eventually given the green light to proceed with a move to Old Trafford in July 2024 but lasted just five months in the role , with United paying £4.1million in total to both acquire and part ways with the Magpies' former sporting director. It emerged back in March that he had held discussions over a potential return to The FA and, as first revealed by The Telegraph , an agreement has now been reached. Ashworth will be given a broad remit in his new role and is expected to start work 'imminently'. It's outlined that he will effectively be in full control of the FA's football association alongside the organisation's chief executive, Mark Bullingham. Overseeing a refurbishment of the national training facility, dubbed 'St Georges Park 2.0' will be among the primary projects to be overseen by Ashworth, whose standing within the game has not been affected by his surprisingly brief tenure at Manchester United. The Red Devils are said to have 'agreed to release Ashworth to work' under the terms of his severance package. Mirror Football outlined that mounting tension behind the scenes led to Ashworth's exit via mutual consent. One of the factors was a difference of opinion over the appointment of Ruben Amorim , with Ashworth favouring different candidates over the former Sporting Lisbon chief. United have not sought an out-an-out replacement for Ashworth since his departure with chief executive, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox, the club's technical director, instead taking on more responsibility. A statement confirming Ashworth's departure at the time read: “Dan Ashworth will be leaving his role as Sporting Director of Manchester United by mutual agreement. We would like to thank Dan for his work and support during a transitional period for the club and wish him well for the future.” Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.