Manchester United are so interested in Newcastle United's sporting director Dan Ashworth on the How To Buy A Football Club podcast:
"Ashworth went to Brighton when he left the FA and helped shape what Brighton have become. He's not solely responsible for that - there are other people at Brighton who have helped. Not least the owner Tony Bloom, the chief executive Paul Barber and manager Graham Potter, who Dan Ashworth actually brought in, and Roberto de Zerbi.
"And then you've got Newcastle United, where he is now, and they have qualified for the Champions League. So basically Dan Ashworth is very good at assessing what needs to be done at football clubs to get them moving in the right direction. That's from the academy, to recruitment, to choosing which are the right players to come into the first team, and who you should be recruiting at junior level.
"So that is what makes Dan Ashworth so desirable. Whether they can get him out of Newcastle is another matter because Newcastle fought quite hard to get him in the first place, but he is definitely on their radar. He also has a long-established relationship with Dave Brailsford.
"All of these things underline what impact Sir Jim Ratcliffe has had at Old Trafford, even though he's not technically supposed to be having any impact yet."
