Manchester United’s Aoife Mannion has highlighted the qualities of fellow defender Maria Thorisdottir ahead of this weekend’s game against Arsenal.
The Norwegian international defender has regularly been paired with Mannion at centre-back this season and the partnership has the potential to blossom throughout the campaign.
When speaking to FAWSL Full-Time ahead of this weekend’s game against Arsenal, Mannion highlighted the leadership brought to the team by Thorisdottir.
“Maria has lots of quality,” Mannion said. “We actually spoke about her in our player meeting that when we were off the ball against Manchester City, it was her who led the line at the back. She was a really loud voice on the pitch and injected a lot of impetus in the game in terms of how she spoke to people around her to get us all singing from the same hymn sheet. It felt controlled out of possession on Wednesday and I think a lot of that is down to her.
“There are definitely things that I can learn from her. That is one thing that I lean into, she has got that defensive view, she has got that defensive mindset and it switches people on around her.”
Mannion goes into the Arsenal game having been an ever-present for Manchester United this season. After an injury-plagued couple of years, the defender is delighted to be back on the pitch.
She said “It has been a difficult last few years and it actually feels like I’m going through a re-birth. I’ve already played more games for Manchester United than I did for my previous team across the two years that I was there as a result of the ACL injury.
“Now that I have got lots of games under my belt, I’m looking forward and building momentum. There have been lots of firsts in the games so far, the first time playing in the evening since the injury, the first time doing this, the first time doing that and so I am looking forward to being able to settle into all of the games and take it as it comes rather than see it following an injury. That’s the form and the shape that I feel myself filling into now.
“At Manchester United, we want dominating mindsets not thinking about past injuries. As humans, it is hard to get away from that sometimes.”
The Barclays FA Women’s Super League fixture between Manchester United and Arsenal is scheduled to kick-off at 12.15pm. Tickets for the match can be purchased by clicking here.
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