Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano gives Manchester United hope of landing important target from Premier League rivals

Manchester United have not necessarily been rejected by Newcastle United director Dan Ashworth, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column today, Romano explained that, despite some reports to the contrary, he has not heard anything concrete on Ashworth turning down a job at Old Trafford.

Ashworth has impressed at Newcastle, as well as in some of his previous roles at Brighton and with the England national team.

It’s easy to see why INEOS might view Ashworth as an ideal candidate to form part of a new-look board at Man Utd, but some reports suggested the Red Devils were set to be left disappointed on that front.

Romano, however, has offered United fans some hope that this saga may not be over, though it seems nothing is particularly close to being resolved.

Discussing the latest on the Ashworth situation and responding to the latest reports, Romano said: “Despite reports that Dan Ashworth has rejected Manchester United to stay at Newcastle, I don’t have this information now. INEOS really appreciate Ashworth, while Newcastle insist he’s happy there and only focused on their project.”

He added: “I think it’s still early, we have to see what happens in the next months, the story is still open.”