Former Dons midfielder Mitchell confirmed as Newcastle's sporting director

Newcastle United have confirmed Paul Mitchell will take over as their sporting director.

The former MK Dons midfielder’s career has gone from strength-to-strength since he was forced into retiring early after breaking his leg at the National Hockey Stadium in 2006. Sidelined for 18 months, Mitchell made tentative returns to the game but could never fully recover from the injury, which saw the air ambulance land on the pitch. He made 82 appearances for Dons.

Taking up a job in the recruitment department at Stadium MK, Mitchell joined Southampton in 2012. Working alongside Mauricio Pochettino at St Mary’s, he followed the Argentine to Tottenham before moving abroad to work for RB Leipzig in a similar recruitment role.

After links with a return to the Premier League, most notably with Manchester United, Mitchell joined AS Monaco in 2020 as the sporting director, and following Dan Ashworth’s high-profile departure from St James’ Park, Mitchell has been confirmed as the new man for the Magpies.