Newcastle must 'rinse' Man Utd for Ashworth as Ferdinand makes 'bullied' claim amid 'unheard of' demand

Simon Jordan has encouraged Newcastle United to “rinse” Manchester United as Sir Jim Ratcliffe attempts to lure director Dan Ashworth to Old Trafford.

Ashworth was placed on gardening leave at the end of last week as he made it clear to Newcastle that he wants to join Man Utd.

The 52-year-old has only been with Newcastle since June 2022 but new Man Utd co-owner Ratcliffe wants him to be their director of football.

Newcastle will not let Ashworth leave easily. They have made an ‘unheard of’ demand as Man Utd have reportedly been told to pay £20m for Ashworth and the Red Devils are understood to have ‘baulked at’ this request.

Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand thinks Ashworth is “the best” in his field as he does not “get bullied by agents”.

“I think he’s the best,” Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel Vibe with FIVE. “He’s so calm, he’s so sure in what he’s doing. He’s so focused, diligent, he knows the market.

“Not swayed, I don’t think he gets bullied by agents and stuff like that. We should go back into the archives. I said that Man United should have got him time ago.

“If I had my choice to take a sporting director it would have been him. I spoke to him at Brighton. People at Newcastle asked me my opinion and I said, I’d go and get him and they went and got him.”

READ MORE: Man Utd won’t pay for Dan Ashworth? He’ll cost a quarter of an Antony…

Former Crystal Palace owner Jordan meanwhile has encouraged Newcastle to “hold out for £20m” and “rinse” Man Utd.

“He’s been there for 20 months and been responsible for two or three hundred million on transfers. Most of them have worked out well and now he’s gone to Man United. Fair play to Newcastle. If Newcastle can go to Man United ‘do you want him? You’ve got to pay for it’,” Jordan said on talkSPORT.

“Would I hold out for my £20million? Damn right, I would. Damn straight I would. I’d make them pay every single last cent that I could possibly rinse out of them because they don’t get to take my vision in the same way Newcastle had to pay compensation to Brighton.

“Man United have brought in £1.6billion worth of players over the last 10 years. Their recruitment policy has gone to the dogs, their development of young players has gone to the dogs – they’re not a great football club at doing things on the pitch.

“So at this moment in time, if they bring somebody in that costs them £3m to £4m a year in wages and a £20m compensation fee and he’s responsible for the next five years of a billion pounds on transfer fees, an X amount of wages then it’s worth the money. This is what you pay.”