The inside story of Manchester United Women's turbulent summer

They say bad things come in threes and in the last week of June, it seemed everything was going against Manchester United’s women’s team.

First, it was United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe saying in a Bloomberg interview that focus on the men had prevented him from going into detail with the women’s side. Then came the news the men would move into the women’s first-team building and the women’s side into a temporary — but, according to the club, high-quality — portable cabin while the £50million ($66.5m) renovations at the club’s Carrington training ground took place. To cap off the week, the club confirmed a trio of departures: England goalkeeper Mary Earps, club captain Katie Zelem and FA Cup final goalscorer Lucia Garcia.

The joy of lifting their first major trophy seemed a distant memory, particularly considering they finished the Women’s Super League season with a 6-0 thumping by Chelsea a week later.

The highs and lows, as well as impending departures, took their toll. “At the end of last season, I was ready to just go on holiday,” Marc Skinner, who also became a father in March, said at a WSL media day this month. “I was psychologically spent.”

Skinner, however, signed a one-year contract renewal with an option to extend, a deal announced the day after the FA Cup final. The shortness of those terms hardly offered the women’s team stability and some sections of the fanbase were unhappy Skinner was staying. According to one agent — who, like most sources in this article, spoke on condition of anonymity to protect relationships — some players were surprised by the decision.

Members of the dressing room were also disappointed when they heard Ratcliffe’s comments and there was overall concern regarding the direction of the club. In February, Ratcliffe took part in a Q&A with journalists and was asked about his ambitions for the women’s team. “If it’s a team wearing a Manchester United badge on their shirt, then it’s Manchester United and they need to be focused on winning and being successful,” the 72-year-old said.

United reasoned, however, that the men’s team are the priority given they dictate the club’s economic value, which in turn affects the women’s team.

It was not enough, however, to convince Earps, Zelem or Garcia to stay. They left on free transfers to Paris Saint-Germain, Angel City and Monterrey.

United’s offer represented a better package overall for Earps, but finances were not her priority. She wanted to compete for trophies. Earps wrote on Instagram it was the “right time to make a change”, with the club “about to undergo a period of transition”. Zelem posted on social media, “It was time to try something new.”

Earps moved on to PSG (Photo: Paul Kane/Getty Images)

The club did not make an offer to Zelem but, equally, she requested not to stay. Out of mutual respect, the club did not trigger her option of an additional year, enabling her to leave on a free transfer.

Zelem told The Athletic: “You have to build on that (2022-23 season when United finished second and made the FA Cup final). Unfortunately, Manchester United have not kept hold of a lot of key players in Mary Earps, Alessia Russo and Ona Batlle. That’s really important if you want to challenge for things.”

United’s top goalscorer last season, Nikita Parris, also departed, heading to Brighton & Hove Albion on deadline day for an undisclosed fee after the club activated a one-year option in her contract, while World Cup winner Irene Guerrero also left after just one year.

The club’s inability to convince players to renew their contracts or be proactive enough to demand a transfer fee for their highest-profile players, as was the case with Russo and Batlle, remained. Given how short their careers are, players who want to compete at the highest level cannot afford to wait several years for the club to sort out their long-term strategy.

United’s women’s squad were invited to a video meeting with the club, led by interim head of women’s football Matt Johnson, in late June in which the players were told of the move out of their building. Not all squad members were able to attend, though, as it was during the off-season.

One agent viewed the situation as a “backward step” and “another humiliation for the team”, adding that: “You’re going to lose fight if your voice is not heard.”

However, the club said that a temporary building would be the best outcome given that Carrington’s pitches, fitness and nutrition facilities are of significantly higher quality than another site elsewhere. Ratcliffe told the Sunday Times in August it was a “pragmatic” solution and that “the men’s team make £800m, the women’s team cost £10m”.

The temporary portable cabins are similar to the ones used in Formula 1. At that stage, they were yet to be erected, but the women’s team had assurances they would have the same provisions as last year.

The academy and women’s team branding was taken down and replaced with men’s team branding. Initially, the letters “WO” were taken off the side of the women’s team’s building to spell out ‘WOMEN’S FIRST TEAM’. However, the outline of the letters could still be seen, so the branding was redone to signify that it is the men’s first team building for this season. When sides return to their buildings next year, once the Carrington redevelopment has been completed, the buildings will once again be rebranded.

The women’s team moved into their rebranded building last week and the players are satisfied with their provisions.

The club say the medical and strength and conditioning provisions, such as ice baths, the pool and jacuzzi — based in the main building — are an upgrade on their previous facilities.

The redone sign on what is now the men’s building (The Athletic)

Speaking at the media day, Skinner said the words used to describe the relocation situation were “lazy”. “It’s words that you can jump on and take in whichever way you want to take. We are a club. We have all moved around the facility, men’s, women’s and academy. That is to make a better tomorrow for the whole club.

“What is reported on the outside could not be further from the truth. ‘We’re training in barracks’ — we’re not training in barracks. We are training in a facility built on-site for our players.”

Skinner believes housing the women’s team in temporary facilities was the “best thing that could have happened” as it has fostered a better relationship between the men’s and women’s teams, leading to more of a natural crossover. He says men’s first-team assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy always says hello, on one occasion the women’s team watched the men’s team training, and once Bruno Fernandes had finished his session, he watched the women’s team in a pre-season friendly.

“We are constantly walking past each other and speaking,” said Skinner at the media day. “Me and Erik (ten Hag, the men’s first-team manager) will speak more because we see each other more.

“I didn’t know what it would be like at first, but knowing we’re not downgrading any facilities — we’ve actually had an upgrade — and we would be seeing all of the teams, it feels like one club again. That’s a really strong movement we needed and we’ve got it now. When the facilities are finished, we will benefit from it.”

A tall wall, however, has been constructed, dividing the men’s and women’s pitches. United say it is standard practice to have a wall by the men’s pitch to provide privacy around tactics and selection and to block the wind.

While the temporary buildings were set up, the club paid for the women to use St George’s Park as a training base to start their pre-season preparations from July 29 for a couple of weeks.

The squad travelled 90 minutes to the Football Association’s facilities in Staffordshire, trained in two-day blocks with an overnight stay in between, before travelling 90 minutes back to Manchester, with the club providing transport. Despite the commute, Skinner described it as a “brilliant experience” that allowed the team to “gel” and build “camaraderie”.

Following their training camp at St George’s Park, Skinner’s side returned to Carrington to continue pre-season preparations. They used the men’s former gym and the women’s usual pitches, which, according to Skinner, are of such good quality that “you want to eat your breakfast off them”.

By this point, United had done most of their summer recruitment, though Celin Bizet joined from Tottenham Hotspur in early September. That was a welcome change from last summer when they did business at the last minute and were the highest-spending WSL team.

“I’m really happy we did our work early,” Skinner said at the media day. “We did it far too late last year, far, far too late. We didn’t start the season as we wanted to.”

By contrast, this year the squad have had at least a month together, which, according to Skinner, is already making a difference.

Whereas previously some agents found the negotiating process to be very convoluted and time-consuming with many people involved, those who held talks with the club this summer had a smoother experience. United’s director of football negotiations, Matt Hargreaves, head of women’s player recruitment Harvey Bussell, interim head of women’s football Johnson and Skinner are involved in recruitment and negotiations at varying degrees at different stages.

There was a change in recruitment strategy, too. United are now looking for, in Skinner’s words, “young” and “hungry” players to balance out the more experienced figures in the dressing room, such as 36-year-old Rachel Williams. Indeed, last season United had the oldest squad in the WSL, with ​​the average age of players to make at least one appearance being 27 years and 276 days, according to Opta.

Williams and Bizet are part of a reworked United squad (Photo: Charlotte Tattersall – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Multiple sources agree United had a good transfer window, but that is relative to where they are at, having finished the last campaign 15 points adrift of third-placed Manchester City. Apart from experienced centre-back Dominique Janssen, the recruits are not like the WSL winners, Champions League regulars or headline names who Arsenal, Chelsea or City have signed, but they have reinforced key gaps.

The recruitment, according to Skinner, was also based on giving United increased physicality and competitiveness in one-on-one situations. The club signed Janssen from Wolfsburg, forward Elisabeth Terland from Brighton, left-back Anna Sandberg from BK Hacken, and Canada midfielder Simi Awujo from the United States collegiate system. They also completed the permanent transfer of France international Melvine Malard on a three-year contract from Lyon. Grace Clinton, having spent last season on loan at Spurs where she played with good friend Bizet, feels like a new signing, but the No 8 also said at the WSL media day that she felt like a “new player” because she has never played for Manchester United and needs to form new connections.

The return of left-back Gabby George, who sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the start of the season, is welcome and she offers United more balance. But at the same time, they will be without mainstay Hannah Blundell, who announced she is pregnant.

Phallon Tullis-Joyce will step up as the No 1 in place of Earps and Skinner described her as “the best shot-stopper” he has worked with. There are concerns that they do not have an experienced backup goalkeeper, however, with Safia Middleton-Patel yet to make her United debut.

“We’ve got a different vibe and energy,” added Skinner. “We have a young group. They say you don’t win things with kids, but I hope I can say at the end of the season that we can. I feel I can take us further with this group.”

They also have a new captain, with 22-year-old Maya Le Tissier replacing Zelem.

Words of wisdom 💭@MayaLeTissier is 2024/25 ready — are you? Tap below for tickets 👇#MUWomen

— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) September 18, 2024

At the beginning of September, the squad flew to Marbella for a week’s training at the Marbella Football Centre. They did not have a fixture because Skinner wanted to put the players through their paces physically so they could “psychologically deal with the darker places” and test their resilience. Clinton described it on the media day as “very hard” with “a lot of running”, but it was also time to bond as a group and they enjoyed a team dinner together.

“We’re together like we were in my first and second season,” Skinner said on Thursday at his pre-match press conference. “We are all pushing in the same direction. We had a hangover from the title push last season. That’s gone, they’re fresh again.”

Earlier in the summer, multiple sources said they had not noticed a difference in approach to the women’s team since INEOS took control of sporting operations at Manchester United, but the arrival in July of chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth, who have been overseeing day-to-day operations at the club, has been felt among players and staff.

Skinner says he feels “energised” by Ashworth and Berrada’s commitment. They have met the players more than once and described their conversations as “personable” and “authentic”. Ashworth, who was aware of recruitment decisions during the summer window and who will have a monthly meeting with Skinner, spoke to the players on Thursday morning about what it means to be at Manchester United and what the team wants to achieve.

The remits of Berrada (Manchester City) and Ashworth (Newcastle United, Brighton and the FA) in their previous roles involved significant input into the women’s teams.

“They have a burning ambition for women’s football to be in the forefront of their direction,” Skinner said at the media day. “It needs a spark. We know there are a lot of people who want Manchester United to fail. It’s part of our game. But in order for us to be successful, we need that spark and the leaders we have in place now will help us do that.”

Just before the end of the 2022-23 season, United were in the prime spot to consolidate upon a very successful campaign, keep Russo and Batlle, recruit top players and establish themselves as a consistent force in women’s football. They let that chance slip away and are paying the price. Last season, they fell short in the league, registering their lowest points tally. The power of the Manchester United brand and badge still catches the eye of some players, but they will struggle to recruit if their reputation does not remain intact.

Yes, United were only reformed six years ago, but given the club’s global audience and the speed at which the women’s game is growing, they cannot afford to make the same mistakes again. They will be left behind, even further than they are now.

“I want to win a title this year,” said Skinner on Thursday. “I don’t make excuses. I’m excited about the team we have. We have work to do as a whole club over the next two windows to get the players (for us) to be the final version. I’m very happy with where we sit right now and the commitment behind the team.”

Content with the squad and ownership backing, this is a crunch season for Skinner, whose side kick off their campaign at Old Trafford against West Ham on Saturday. Only around 12,000 tickets have been sold, though, less than half of the attendance for the final game of last season against Chelsea, and the club have consolidated fans into one stand.

“You’ll get hard work, all of my commitment and a team that does that every single game,” said Skinner. “That’s what I can promise everybody.”

(Photo: Charlotte Tattersall – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images)