Dan Ashworth's 'talks' about Brighton ace as Man United told £50m target is 'like no one else'

Former Brighton ace Glenn Murray says he once urged Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth to sign Joao Pedro.

Five years before he took the job at Old Trafford, Ashworth was technical director at the Amex Stadium and oversaw a period of ruthlessly shrewd business that helped establish the Seagulls as one of the most financially savvy clubs in European football.

During that period, Murray, who was on loan at Watford at the time, phoned Ashworth to tell him a young kid named Pedro, who had only just arrived in English football, was worth snapping up. Brighton never moved for the striker, but Ashworth obviously took the advice on board and tried to sign the Brazilian after becoming Newcastle's sporting director in 2022.

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Speaking on the official Brighton and Hove Albion YouTube channel alongside Seagulls ace Danny Welbeck, Murray, 40, said: "I must admit, when I played with you guys with Watford, he was the one that makes you go 'Wow, who is this kid?' The things he could do, he [Pedro] was so good.

"I think there's a lot more growth in him, he has loads more to give. We've seen glimpses from last year of what he is capable of and his tally was impressive in the end. But, I think he can get so much better.

"I'll be honest, he was my first call back to Dan Ashworth. I was literally getting on the train and I was like 'You've got to sign this kid'. He was that type of player where you were just blown away by him."

Ashworth left Brighton in February 2022, and a year-and-a-half later, Pedro signed for the south coast