Man United’s incoming chiefs in email blunder as Dan Ashworth opens the door to Premier League ‘tapping up’ probe by sending secret exchange to Newcastle account

Dan Ashworth sent an email to a Newcastle United address inadvertently revealing he was being tapped up by incoming Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada, who was still on gardening leave from Manchester City.

It is an embarrassing blunder and error of judgement on the part of the two men who will be charged with restructuring Man United by new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and could be looked at by the Premier League.

We can reveal the pair had a conversation in early February and Ashworth followed that up by sending an email to Berrada - at an INEOS account - making it clear he wanted to accept the opportunity of becoming Man United’s sporting director.

However, Ashworth sent a blind copy to his own Newcastle email address, clumsily disclosing to the club the covert negotiations with Berrada. Man United, at this point, had not informed Newcastle of their interest in Ashworth.

Berrada does not officially start at Old Trafford until July 13 and he had been on gardening leave from Man City for less than a month when engaging with Ashworth, potentially breaching the terms of his contract.

Ashworth, we understand, also disclosed details to Berrada of the agreement between Newcastle and Brighton that took him to St James’ Park in the summer of 2022. This would likely be a breach of confidentiality to each of Newcastle and Brighton.

The 53-year-old eventually informed Newcastle of his wish to join Man United on February 18 and was placed on gardening leave, a period that Ratcliffe has suggested expires towards the end of 2025.

Man United have so far not made an acceptable offer to Newcastle to bring forward that date and Ashworth is reportedly set to take the club to arbitration in a bid to force through his move.

Ratcliffe appeared to aim a dig at Newcastle last month when he said: ‘One of the biggest problems we have in football is we get these new guys to come into the team, they’re really capable people, but they’re all on gardening leave. So it takes six months, a year or even 18 months (for them to start) It’s a real issue in football at the moment.’

In February, Ratcliffe said: ‘I think it’s a bit silly, personally. What I do think is completely absurd is suggesting a man who is really good at his job sits in his garden for one and a half years.

We had a very grown-up conversation with City about Omar Berrada. When things got done we sorted it out very amicably. They could see why he wanted to take that challenge. You look at Pep (Guardiola) when he’s done with one of his footballers - he doesn’t want them to sit in the garden for one and a half years. He doesn’t do that. That’s not the way the UK works or the law works.’

All the while, however, the ‘capable people’ Ratcliffe spoke of were potentially breaching Premier League guidelines. There is increased chatter in football circles of the INEOS chief not understanding how the industry works, and he has angered Man United employees by removing staff perks around the FA Cup final. He has also banned working from home, upsetting some within the club.

Newcastle, meanwhile, have stood firm in waiting for what they see as a fair offer to release Ashworth from his gardening leave.

Mail Sport contacted Newcastle but they declined to comment. Manchester United declined to comment. Manchester City declined to comment.

The Premier League rule book states that each club, director and official should behave towards each other with the ‘utmost good faith’ and it would be a breach if they were to ‘act dishonestly towards another club’ or ‘engage in conduct that is intended to circumvent these rules’.