Dan Ashworth insisted he was happy at Newcastle when asked about Manchester United's interest in him.
"Same situation as Eddie [Howe], I think. I'm really happy, it's a brilliant city, club and project. I'm thoroughly engaged in throwing myself into all of those things and really enjoying the challenge," said Ashworth last month.
"The next number of years is to fight and get into the top six regularly and compete for trophies. Of course we want to be in the Champions League as much as we can over the coming years but it's incredibly difficult."
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Ashworth was asked about a possible switch to Old Trafford following lavish praise from Gary Neville, who suggested he would be the perfect candidate for a sporting director role with Sir Jim Ratcliffe at the club.
Manchester City and Liverpool, who have been the country's most successful teams in the last five years, both have respected sporting directors who dictate transfer policy to ensure signings align with the club's philosophy.
Txiki Begiristain and Michael Edwards have been responsible for City and Liverpool's success respectively and they are some of the best brains in the industry, but Ashworth is well-regarded and not far behind.
Ashworth has made a significant impact in each position he's held with Peterborough, Cambridge, West Brom, the FA, Brighton and most recently, Newcastle, who are desperate to keep him.
Newcastle entrusted Ashworth to overhaul the club after a Saudi-led takeover and, as expected, their signings have been excellent since he was poached from Brighton and appointed as sporting director.
Ashworth had to serve gardening leave before joining Newcastle,
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