Sir Jim Ratcliffe's deal to acquire a 25 per cent stake of the Old Trafford giants and take control of football operations is expected to be completed next week.
The Ineos chairman's determination to hit the ground running has seen his team move to strengthen United's football leadership team, with recruitment a particular area of focus.
Manchester City's Omar Berrada is coming in as chief executive and the Red Devils are hoping Newcastle sporting director Ashworth will form part of their new-look hierarchy.
United want to bring in the former Football Association technical director, but a deal is not necessarily straightforward given negotiations with the Magpies over cost and timeframes.
It is understood poor player trading has been a key area targeted for improvement by Ineos as they prepare to take control of football operations.
Sales have been pinpointed as a concern on top of United's missteps making signings.
The 52-year-old is a renowned football administrator who was head-hunted by Newcastle's new Saudi-backed owners to take up the role of sporting director, which he did in June 2022 after serving a period of notice with former club Brighton.
Handed responsibility for the club's "overarching sporting strategy, football development and recruitment at all ages", he oversaw the Magpies' surge to a fourth-place Premier League finish and the return of Champions League football to Tyneside after an absence of two decades in his first season in the role.
Having been released by Norwich's Academy as a 17-year-old full-back, Ashworth worked as a PE teacher while studying for his coaching badges – including the UEFA Pro Licence – and playing semi-professionally for St Leonards and Wisbech Town before a spell in the United States with West Florida Fury.
He was handed his first full-time role by Peterborough, where he began life as the club's education and welfare officer and worked his way up to Academy director during Barry Fry's reign as manager.
He spent three years as director of Cambridge's Centre of Excellence before joining forces with Aidy Boothroyd to establish West Brom's Academy. However, it was in his role with the FA, which he took up in 2012, that his stock rose sharply.
He was the man responsible for instilling an "England DNA", an ethos encompassing the entire international set-up at St George's Park, which has been cited as a major factor in the senior team's progression to the latter stages of the last three major tournaments as well as success at age group level.
In 2018, he joined Brighton and helped to establish the club as an emerging Premier League force.
