Athletic Bilbao are said to be confident of keeping director of football Mikel Gonzalez amid reported interest from Manchester United.. United are searching for a replacement to Dan Ashworth after he left the club in December. Ashworth lasted just five months in the role after being headhunted by Ineos last summer.. His arrival was part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s attempt at revamping the football operations at Old Trafford. However, the mysterious exit before Christmas has left a hole in United’s hierarchy heading into the summer transfer window.. Reports in Spain had linked United with Gonzalez, who had impressed with his role at Bilbao in recent years. However, Estadio Deportivo have claimed that the La Liga side are confident that United will not be able to steal Gonzalez any time soon.. The report adds that Bilbao are ‘very calm’ about the situation and there’s a feeling that the 37-year-old won’t abandon the project at the San Mames Stadium. Journalist Nico Rodriguez, who is said to have ‘internal sources’ at Bilbao, has claimed Gonzalez will remain in Spain.. “I have made a call and Athletic Club are very calm, very calm,” he said on El Chiringuito. “They know that it is normal for good work to arouse the interest of big clubs, but they have told me that they are very calm, that they know that Mikel González is 100 per cent no.. “They have literally told me that he is 1000 per cent committed to the Athletic project and that they have no doubt that he is not going to leave Athletic. At Athletic they do not give him any importance and they are clear that he is going to stay.”. Get United transfer news and updates on WhatsApp!. Our team of Manchester United experts are on top of all the goings-on at Old Trafford for this week and beyond, and you can get the latest team news, injury updates, reaction and analysis along with inside information to your phone by joining our new free WhatsApp community. You can also join the 50,000 (and growing!) band of United fans who are following our WhatsApp Channel.. Sign up to our community here, and join our WhatsApp channel here.. –. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
