Former Man United academy graduate is unveiled as Afghanistan national team boss

Former Manchester United academy graduate Ashley Westwood has officially been unveiled as the new manager of the Afghanistan national team.

The surprise move comes amid much unrest from within the squad's playing cohort, with eighteen players threatening to boycott their upcoming World Cup qualifier against Qatar.

Claims have been made that they have suffered 'substandard' treatment by the Afghanistan Football Federation, with the Guardian reporting that it had seen a letter signed by three of the side's players that asserting that players had been left unhappy with how the team was run.

Afghanistan begin their World Cup qualification campaign on Thursday 16 November, and will also play India, Kuwait and Qatar as part of the qualification process.

And in a bid to help them reach the 2026 tournament, they have hired former Crewe, Wrexham and Sheffield Wednesday player Ashley Westwood.

According to reports on social media, the 47-year-old has agreed a one-year contract with the side, just eight days out from their game against Qatar.

Pictures of Westwood being unveiled by the Afghanistan Football Federation were posted on social media on Wednesday, with images of him holding up the national side's football shirt at a press conference.

The former defender enjoyed a 17-year career, that started in the academy set up at Manchester United.

After graduating from the Red Devil's academy, the centre-back would go on to sign for Crewe Alexandra for a reported fee of £40,000, before enjoying spells with clubs throughout the EFL, including Northampton, Bradford and Wrexham.

He went on to score a total of 20 goals across all competitions throughout his career, spending the lion's share of his career at Sheffield Wednesday where he played 94