Manchester United 'interest' in Michael Edwards laid bare as Liverpool return agreed

Michael Edwards has agreed to come back to Liverpool after saying yes to a top role with club owners Fenway Sport Group.

This new position means he will be in charge of football operations at Anfield. The 44-year-old first said no when the Reds' American owners asked him to return to the club following Jurgen Klopp's surprise news in January that he would stand down as manager at the end of the season.

But after visiting Boston for a meeting with FSG earlier this month, he has now agreed to take on a top role in the group and Liverpool will be part of his remit. Edwards didn't want to go back to Anfield as sporting director and the Liverpool Echo understands he even turned down similar jobs at Manchester United and Chelsea.

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Now back at Anfield, one of Edwards' first tasks will be to appoint a sporting director. Richard Hughes is expected to take on this responsibility after announcing last week that he would leave AFC Bournemouth in the summer.

The two are friends from their time together at Portsmouth, where Edwards was a junior data analyst and the former Scotland international was still a player. United's hunt for a new sporting director has long since moved on from the Liverpool man.

Dan Ashworth is the No.1 target for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS after a successful stint at Newcastle. The Magpies announced recently that Ashworth has been placed on gardening leave after expressing his intention to leave the club.

It is thought a bid of £20m will be required for United to bring Ashworth to Old Trafford before the end of his gardening leave.

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