Dan Ashworth, the former sporting director of Manchester United, has made a return to the Football Association (FA) after being named its new chief football officer, following his brief and unsuccessful tenure at Old Trafford.

The 54-year-old previously worked with the FA as the director of elite development and later as technical director from 2013 to 2019. After that, he held positions at Brighton and Newcastle before a short five-month stint at Manchester United, which ended in December.

His arrival at United was initially seen as a major move amid the club's sporting restructuring under minority owner Jim Ratcliffe. Ashworth was expected to lead a revamp of United's underperforming team alongside manager Ruben Amorim, who joined in November, but he departed from the club the following month.

Following Ashworth's departure from Manchester United, Jim Ratcliffe described both his appointment in July 2024 and the decision to retain manager Erik ten Hag as "errors."

In his new role, Ashworth will oversee both the England men's and women's teams. FA chief executive Mark Bullingham stated, “Dan is a hugely influential and respected figure in the game, who has a longstanding commitment to England Football.

“We are very happy to welcome him back in this new role.”

Ashworth was previously praised for establishing a structure at the FA that played a key role in improving the fortunes of England's men's team.