This was always going to be a crucial summer for Manchester United and Marc Skinner.
After pushing Chelsea in the 2022/23 Women’s Super League title race, the Manchester club’s league form suffered a hit in 2023/24 as they failed to maintain the consistency required to challenge for the title. They ultimately finished fifth in the standings, behind north west rivals Liverpool in fourth, Arsenal in third, Manchester City in second and Chelsea in first.
The silver lining for Skinner’s side was, without a doubt, securing their first piece of silverware in the FA Cup. They produced a shock result against Chelsea in the semi-finals of the competition and cruised past Tottenham Hotspur in the final at Wembley.
As the curtains were pulled on a mixed campaign, a summer of change was already underway at Carrington. A number of key players moved on following the expiration of their contracts and reports in the media started to paint a grim picture at the club.
United’s new co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has been at the centre of the storm. His quotes earlier in the summer, in an interview with Bloomberg, indicated plans surrounding the women’s set-up are still to be decided, with full focus on improving the situation for the men’s side.
That was followed by a report from The Guardian confirming the women were to vacate their £10m building at Carrington and move into temporary accommodation. This would be to allow the men’s team to access the facilities throughout the new season, due to the ongoing renovations taking place in their own building.
The discourse around United’s women’s team has understandably been met with frustration and criticism from supporters. They’ve watched the team go from strength to strength in recent years, yet there was a palpable fear in the early stages of the transfer window that they would struggle to land their priority targets due to the perceived lack of support and forward-planning.
A wave of high-profile departures didn’t help matters, either. Goalkeeper Mary Earps was among the first to bid farewell to the club she had spent the last five years representing. She opted against signing a new deal and instead chose to join French side Paris Saint-Germain, becoming the highest-paid shot-stopper in the women’s game.
Former club captain Katie Zelem was next to depart after six years with the Manchester club. Forward Lucia Garcia joined Mexican side…
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