Manchester United are reportedly set to appoint Dan Ashworth’s protege Michael Appleton in a new role, with the former Charlton boss on the verge of returning to Old Trafford as the Red Devils’ new loans manager.
The Sun claim that sporting director Ashworth is poised to appoint Appleton to his newly assembled recruitment team. He will be in charge of outgoing loans and monitoring the progress of United players playing away from Manchester.
Les Parry, ex-Tranmere boss, currently holds the position but is set to be replaced as INEOS continue to make sweeping behind-the-scenes changes.
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Appleton worked closely with Ashworth when the pair were together at West Brom and are thought to have a very close relationship, which continued when the United chief left the Baggies to take up a job with the FA as director of elite development.
It is the first time Appleton has taken up a role in such a capacity but he has extensive experience in management, leading Portsmouth, Blackpool, Blackburn, Oxford, Lincoln and Charlton since retiring from professional football in 2003. He was also assistant to Craig Shakespeare at Leicester in 2017.
Appleton’s hiring marks a return to the club nearly three decades after his initial exit. After coming through the famed academy, Appleton made just two appearances before leaving for Preston in 1997 for £500,000, before injuries curtailed his career and forced him to retire at 27.
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He will be busy at United and his first port of call will be to find suitable loans for the many players attached to the club, some with the view of progressing their careers in the hope that they can eventually move up to the first team. Others will depart temporarily in order to shed the wage bill, unable to find permanent homes.
Appleton was sacked by Charlton in January after a 12-game winless run, with his dismissal coming just 30 minutes after a final game in charge against Northampton.
Speaking before a 97th-minute Northampton goal sealed Appleton’s fate, the 48-year-old was aware of his dismal situation. “I think from a personal point of view, the reality is the longer the situation goes on without winning a game of football that does come with the job,” he said.
“It’s not my first rodeo. I’ve been here before, in difficult positions before, I understand the job and the role – the fact if you’re not winning games on a regular basis then your job is up for threat.
"You always want patience and time as a manager but it’s not something managers get in this day and age. The only way we’re going to get time moving forward is by picking up a few results.”
Appleton was unable to turn the situation around at Charlton, who avoided relegation with a much-improved end to the season, but he will get the chance to make amends at United by joining Ashworth’s recruitment staff.
