Manchester United Women have offered manager Marc Skinner a new contract.
Terms have not yet been agreed but both parties are continuing to talk and are keen to come to an agreement with Skinner’s existing deal expiring at the end of this season.
This is United’s second move to address the women’s team since new part-owners INEOS took control of the club’s football operations after purchasing a minority stake in the from the Glazer family for $1.3bn, following the appointment of Matt Johnson as their new head of women’s football on an interim basis last month.
The decision to offer Skinner an extension was made by United’s incumbent football leadership along with oversight from INEOS. Sir Dave Brailsford, INEOS’ sporting director, has been working at United since February, while Andy O’Boyle, United’s deputy director of football since May 2022, already oversees the women’s side as part of his duties and will continue to do so alongside Johnson.
John Murtough had worked as United’s football director, a role which included the women’s team, but he is leaving the club this week after more than 10 years in Manchester.
United have endured a difficult season under Skinner and are fourth in the Women’s Super League, 15 points off leaders Chelsea and six points behind third-placed Arsenal who occupy the final Champions League qualification spot. Sections of the United fanbase have voiced their opposition to Skinner’s management and The Athletic reported earlier this year that a small group of supporters were warned about singing ‘we want Skinner out’ after players and staff were said to have become uncomfortable with the chanting.
United have struggled to recapture their form from last season (Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
Skinner took over at United in July 2021 after Casey Stoney’s resignation. United finished fourth in Skinner’s first season in charge, followed by a second-placed finish last term.
Despite challenging Chelsea for the WSL title until the final day of the 2022-23 season, United failed to reach the Champions League group stage after they suffered a 4-2 aggregate defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the second round of the qualification play-offs. They were also knocked out of the Conti Cup in the group stage but do face Chelsea in an FA Cup semi-final this Sunday.
Johnson, meanwhile, replaces the outgoing head of women’s football Polly Bancroft, who will join League Two side Grimsby Town as their chief executive at the end of the season. He will take on the role for six months while United consider their longer-term model under INEOS.
Last month, The Athletic published a special report on the United women’s team, which found several key issues in the club’s recent past. These included United missing out on signings because of delays at senior level, a lack of clarity regarding budget and strategy and reneging on a verbal deal agreed to keep former striker Alessia Russo, who later joined Arsenal.
“We will obviously have conversations around any topic that’s brought to our attention,” Skinner said when asked about The Athletic’s report. “It would be remiss to say that I wouldn’t do that. “But it’s also about balance, that’s really important because we’re never going to report all the good things that happen at our club because nobody wants to hear good news.
“We need to grow here, there’s no doubt about that. There are things that we’ve done fantastically well in the short six years that we’ve been around, but there are also factors that we can improve.”
(Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
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