RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesManchester United’s women’s team are entering their latest new era.
As The Athletic reported on Monday, Marc Skinner departed his position as head coach after mutual termination of the 43-year-old’s contract, ending the former Birmingham City and Orlando Pride head coach’s five-year tenure.
On Tuesday, United confirmed the news reported by The Athletic on Monday that Eva Olid would be Skinner’s successor . The player leadership group learned of Olid’s appointment on Tuesday afternoon. Olid was introduced to the rest of the squad at lunchtime on Wednesday.
The 40-year-old Spanish coach has been out of work since departing Heart of Midlothian at the end of the 2025-26 season after leading the club to their maiden Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) title.
Below, The Athletic explains United’s process in appointing Olid, the challenges the new head coach faces and what fans can expect.
Why have Manchester United appointed Olid?
Her arrival coincides with the new direction the club intend to take for their senior women’s team . The direction, according to the club, hinges on a sustainable investment model for recruitment and an emphasis on bringing through young players from the academy.
United’s view is that the current expenditure across the Women’s Super League (WSL) is “not sustainable” and the new direction will support “long-term” success.
United have made only two signings so far this summer (defender Andrea Medina and backup goalkeeper Janina Leitzig). Two more signings are expected , a central defender or midfielder and a left-winger.
They have given professional contracts to three prospects in 17-year-old Layla Drury, Jess Anderson and Scarlett Hill, both 18. All three are expected to feature this season to augment the depth of the first-team squad, along with academy products Emma Watson (20), Jess Simpson (21), Mared Griffiths (19) and Lucy Newell (19), all of whom spent last season out on loan.
The club’s determination to incorporate this young talent with minimal competitive first-team experience means a head coach with an ability and desire to develop and use those players will be critical for the upcoming season.
As The Athletic reported in April , some sources close to the squad questioned Skinner’s ability to bring young talent through, stating his preference was to deal with older players already armed with ample senior experience.
Last season, United ranked last among WSL clubs for minutes given to players under 21 years old.
Skinner’s exit from United was predicated largely on a disagreement regarding the club’s new direction.
Concerns were raised among some players and members of senior staff, including Skinner, that United’s new direction could see them slip behind their main WSL rivals and struggle to maintain competitive levels with the league’s top three sides, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Speaking in April, Skinner called for changes at United this summer, specifically calling for increased investment in the first-team playing squad .
“You (can) give me all the flak. That’s no problem; that’s my job,” Skinner said after United’s 5-3 aggregate defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
“But if we want to compete at this latter stage, we’ve seen what we’ve got to do, as a club. And then it’s our choice now, isn’t it?”
The club consider Olid to be more in line with the new direction for the senior women’s team. She has earned a reputation for developing young talent during her five years at Hearts, particularly with minimal budget while also playing attractive, possession-based football.
How much of that reputation can fans place faith in?
No new head coach is perfect and Olid should not be seen as a panacea to United’s issues in bringing through young players , nor the league-wide challenge that transitioning academy players into first-team WSL environments has posed .
That said, Olid’s track record for working with young talent is evident.
Before taking on a role with Houston Dynamo’s academy working with the women’s and men’s under-19s, she impressed when she took a development team to a tournament in Catalonia.
A move to Hearts followed. The squad which won last season’s SWPL title had an average age of 22 years old. The average age of her starting XI was 23 years and 191 days, according to Statsbomb.
It should also be noted, according to Scottish women’s football writer Matt Dallinson, that the SWPL is a league that predominantly features young sides, with teams composed of players between 17-22 years old and 29 or older.
Additionally, while Olid has experience working with young players, many have pointed out that a young player is different to an inexperienced one. January signing Ellen Wangerheim, for example, is 21 years old yet arrived at United with more than 100 first-team appearances for Swedish top-flight side Hammarby, including in the Champions League. Players such as Watson (20) do not boast such experience and as Wangerheim’s first stint in the WSL demonstrated, the step-up in England can be significant.
At Hearts, Dallinson points out that many of the players Olid worked with had prior first-team experience elsewhere, including within the SWPL or WSL2.
Even so, her ability to focus on and improve the technical aspects of players, including the likes of Georgia Timms and Jenny Smith, was a positive throughout her Hearts tenure.
Also evident was her ability to perform within tight financial constraints. Olid arrived at Hearts when the women’s team were still part-time but her ambition and work eventually led to increased investment into the project, including the professionalisation of the first team.
Those at Hearts speak glowingly about Olid’s proactive work ethic, her “football-obsessive” nature and the overall trajectory of the women’s team over her five...
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