"We have to look at what we seriously want to achieve," Marc Skinner said after United's UWCL quarterfinal exit to Bayern Munich in April. Less than three months later, he was gone — by mutual consent, though sources indicate he had already offered his resignation before the formal agreement.
His replacement is Eva Olid, the Spanish coach who spent five years turning Hearts from relegation candidates into Scottish Women's Premier League champions. She arrives on a two-year deal with an option for a third. She is well-regarded. She develops young players. She is also walking into a thinner squad, a tougher league, and a club that has just publicly committed to spending less, not more.
The real issue isn't the manager
Skinner's numbers weren't embarrassing. Four domestic cup finals, an FA Cup title in 2024, a run to the UWCL quarterfinals in their first-ever European campaign, and WSL finishes of fourth, second, fifth, third and fourth across five seasons. He did that while operating on a wage bill of £5.88 million — just over half of Arsenal's £11.3 million in the same season the Gunners lifted the Champions League. Manchester City's operating expenses exceeded £14 million before they won the WSL the following year.
The comparison isn't flattering, and it was never going to be. Alessia Russo, Mary Earps, Ona Batlle, Katie Zelem — all left on free transfers. Star striker Melvine Malard was sold to Chelsea for £850,000 this summer, and there is little sign that money has been reinvested. The club's only additions so far are defender Andrea Medina and goalkeeper Janina Leitzig, while three senior players have departed permanently and another is on loan.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe admitted in 2024 he hadn't given the women's team his full attention. He didn't attend either of United's FA Cup finals. The women's squad spent part of last season in temporary portable buildings at Carrington after the men's team took over their facilities during a £50 million renovation of the men's training complex. It doesn't take much reading between the lines.
A youth strategy that needs years, not months
United's new direction, per ESPN sources, centres on academy development rather than competing in the transfer market. Senior figures at the club believe current WSL spending levels are financially unsustainable. It's a defensible position — in a vacuum. In practice, United ranked last in the WSL last season for minutes given to players under 21. The three academy players handed professional contracts — Layla Drury, Jess Anderson and Scarlett Hill, all aged 17-18 — barely featured. Seven academy graduates left in 2023-24, another 11 across 2025-26.
Even Arsenal, arguably England's strongest women's academy, have produced only two recent graduates who've established themselves in the first team — and both suffered ACL injuries in their debut senior campaigns. Barcelona's famous pipeline, which started Clara Serrajordi in a Champions League final at 18, was built over decades within one of the world's most resourced youth systems. United are not Barcelona.
Olid's expertise is in developing young players, which is precisely why United chose her. But the SWPL, for all its value, is not the WSL. The margins for error shrink considerably when the competition deepens, and Olid's first three fixtures — away to London City Lionesses, then Chelsea, then Arsenal — will tell us a great deal about whether this squad is equipped for the top half of the table, let alone a title challenge.
United's CEO Omar Berrada has previously stated the club's ambition is to win the WSL by 2028. A quieter transfer window, a younger squad, and a less experienced head coach don't obviously accelerate that timeline. What happens in the next twelve months will start answering the question Skinner framed so bluntly before he left: "We have to look at what we seriously want to achieve."
