With the likes of Mary Earps and Nikita Parris having left over the summer, Marc Skinner will need other players to step up over the coming campaign
Rachel Williams, the Manchester United striker, is delighted that the Red Devils will kick-off their Women's Super League season at Old Trafford. That's not because it's an iconic ground or because there will be a big crowd – it's because she knows the team has some wrongs to right after their last visit.
That was on the final day of the 2023-24 season, when Chelsea absolutely battered the hosts in a thumping 6-0 win that secured a fifth-successive WSL title. It was a dismal display from United, one that made the post-match scenes a little awkward. Just a week earlier, they had beaten Tottenham in the FA Cup final to win the women's team's first major title and this league fixture offered a chance to parade the trophy around the ground. Yet, you could forgive those who left before that celebration, given what preceded it.
"How can we go into an FA Cup final, but then we go into the last game of the season, and it's two totally different games?" Williams pondered last week, at the WSL season launch. "I like the fact we're going back [to Old Trafford] because, for me, those feelings on that last day are still very raw. No matter what team it is, we now know that we have to go there and perform the way we know we can and let the fans leave happy knowing, ‘that's a good start for us'.
"I know people say that whole thing of, ‘don't get carried away with the highs and [too] low in the lows’, but for me, the lows sit with me a lot more than the highs, then it gives me that extra 10 percent to go into those games and think, ‘I've got to go another level now, because it wasn't good enough when I was last here’."
It's clear that Williams doesn't just feel that way about returning to Old Trafford. For United, this whole upcoming season has that sentiment of wanting to show that they are better than 2023-24 suggested. There were glimpses – like that FA Cup triumph or victory over Chelsea in the semi-finals – but not on a consistent enough basis to back-up their 2022-23 title challenge, with a disappointing fifth-placed finish instead the outcome last term.
With that desire to be better, some exciting summer signings and important players returning from injury, can United compete with England's elite again? Or will the impact of high-profile departures, doubts surrounding head coach Marc Skinner and concerns about the club's commitment to the women's team dominate the narrative in another underwhelming campaign?
Getty ImagesMood around the Red Devils
'Cautiously optimistic' may be the best way to sum up the feeling around United heading into another WSL season. The summer saw talk of the women's team's training facilities and the exits of star names take centre stage at times, but the club has done some astute transfer business, had a positive pre-season and there is reason to believe that an opportunity to get back into the European places can present itself this year.
Last season was a real mixed bag. To say the Red Devils' performance in the WSL was disappointing would be an understatement, with a fifth-placed finish, some 15 points off the Champions League spots, hugely underwhelming. However, an FA Cup triumph delivered a first major trophy for the women's team, even if several players were quick to admit it papered over the cracks of the campaign as a whole.
To get to that final, United defeated Chelsea in a brilliant semi-final tie, showcasing their ability to compete with and even beat the elite sides in England. Those glimpses fuel the belief that this team can get back up towards the top of the table, though it is consistency against the sides below them which will be expected from the supporters.
There is still frustration from the stands towards head coach Skinner. Throughout last season, many questioned his ability to lead this team to its lofty ambitions and, with his contract expiring, some believed the club would find someone new to steer the ship. However, a one-year extension was announced in the days that followed that FA Cup triumph and now Skinner will be out to earn another deal, while hoping to deliver performances and results that the fans can get behind.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTransfer business
There have been so many notable ins and outs at United this summer. The departures of Lucia Garcia, Mary Earps, Katie Zelem and Irene Guerrero all came early in the window and angered fans for different reasons. The former trio all left on free transfers, something which is becoming worryingly frequent at the club in recent years, with Alessia Russo and Ona Batlle also doing so last year. Guerrero, meanwhile, was a player fans wanted to see more of, but the World Cup winner was sold to Mexican side Club America after making just seven appearances – only one of those a start.
It was important, then, for United to make good signings off the back of this start to the window and they have. Melvine Malard won over fans in her season on loan from Lyon and the forward made the switch a permanent one in July. Further bolstering the attack are the Norwegian duo of Elisabeth Terland and Celin Bizet, the former after scoring half of Brighton's league goals last season and the latter after shining in a Tottenham side that took real steps forward under Robert Vilahamn.
There's further excitement over defender Anna Sandberg, who will add necessary depth after full-back Hannah Blundell announced her pregnancy, and Canada international Simi Awujo, who is a thrilling talent at just 20 years old.
Perhaps the most notable bit of business United did this summer, though, was in keeping hold of Grace Clinton. Spurs were keen to buy the England star after a fruitful loan spell in north London last season, but United stood firm and will integrate the 21-year-old into their starting XI this term.
For all those positives, though, the transfer window still ended on a bum note when Nikita Parris, who scored 16 goals in all competitions last season, was sold to Brighton on deadline day, while the club also failed to further bolster the goalkeeping department following the departure of Earps. It leaves 19-year-old Safia Middleton-Patel, a promising Wales international but a player who has never played in the WSL, as the only back-up to Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
Getty ImagesPre-season performances
Many teams in the women's game still keep their pre-season campaigns rather secret and, as one that did not embark on a high-profile summer tour, United have been one of those leading into 2024-25. The team went out to Marbella for some warm-weather preparation and results publicised throughout the summer have been positive. Yet, these friendlies are about performances rather than final scores and it's hard to make any judgement on those games when they have been played behind closed doors.
However, one of the main takeaways has been that Clinton and Ella Toone have been playing in midfield together ahead of the new campaign, rather than it being a case of one or the other. Some thought it could be the latter given both are playmaking midfielders, but Skinner is clearly keen to integrate both into his XI. It's something Clinton herself has spoken about enjoying, though she admitted she's unsure how it will look once the 2024-25 campaign begins.
Getty ImagesTalking tactics
There are often two main themes of criticism aimed at Skinner – a lack of play through midfield and a lack of rotation. Both frustrations stem from the abundance of quality in this United squad.
It'll be interesting to see if the consistency in team selection is any different this season, given the team missed out on European football again and therefore only has 22 league games to contend with, any FA Cup action and a League Cup competition that will likely involve giving younger and fringe players a chance in the group stage.
The midfield, however, should surely be more involved in United's play this coming season given the unavoidable quality in there. That's not to say that wasn't the case in previous years, but that perhaps the two players most likely to change a game are going to be in there, in Toone and Clinton. If Skinner can find a way to connect those two to the wingers that are often at the centre of his team's attacking play, then this team could be much more devastating and exciting.
The coach has hinted over the summer at some system changes – it's just a case of waiting and seeing what those are.