Five years have passed since Manchester United reformed their women’s team and with it came some lofty ambitions. Despite beginning in the second tier of the pyramid, many believed that it would not be long before The Red Devils were crowned the best team in the country.
There were even times this season when it looked like nothing could stop Marc Skinner’s side from claiming their first Barclays Women’s Super League title. Yet, despite getting their highest-ever points total in the league, they were edged out by a Chelsea team that have won the title four years on the bounce.
Speaking to the media after the season drew to a close, Manchester United boss Skinner said that he believes that it won’t be long before his team win the crown for themselves.
“We’re closing that gap every single day,” Skinner said. “It will hurt that we were two points off and it will hurt that we’ve not won the league even though we’ve broken our points tally.
“Congratulations to Emma (Hayes) but this team is coming and it’s hunting, so they’ll have to stay on top of their game.”
After Saturday’s 1-0 victory at Liverpool, Manchester United had accumulated 56 points, the same tally that saw Chelsea win the title in 2021/2022. Sadly for The Red Devils, they had to settle for second place, missing out on the title by just two points. Despite narrowly missing out, it is a clear step in the right direction for Manchester United after they were 14 points behind the champions last year.
“Chelsea have been there and done it and until you’ve been there and done it, it’s hard to sense what’s actually on the other side of that,” Skinner said.
The key to Manchester United’s continued progression will be their ability to retain the services of their star players. However, with contract negotiations with the likes of Ona Batlle and Alessia Russo still in the air, there are some nervous times ahead. Skinner could not offer any kind of positive update on contracts after the Liverpool fixture.
He said “The business people are still in negotiations. I’ve been very clear, I’ve separated that so my job is to focus on the football on the field.
“Our team is not about one player, let’s be very clear on that and it never will be. If that doesn’t happen and they don’t stay here, then we’ll go into the market to recruit because we have to.
“If I was them, I don’t think I’d want to leave this team.
“I’d say to any player that will come into our team, ‘you’re coming to a very special unit’.”
Regardless of what happens with the current squad, Manchester United will need to dip into the transfer market this summer if they are to be competitive on all fronts next season. The Red Devils will compete in three domestic cup competitions while there is the added bonus of UEFA Women’s Champions League football for the first time.