Inside Marc Skinner’s Man United exit: How frustration over strategy led to end of five-year reign
According to two sources familiar with the meeting — who, like others referenced in this article, spoke on condition of anonymity to protect relationships — at least one senior member of the first team asked for the names of the players being targeted. Manek did not divulge that information but insisted both players were “elite and experienced”. Some players questioned whether just two additional recruits would be enough to keep United competitive with the Women’s Super League’s (WSL) top three, having finished fourth last season and outside the Champions League qualification positions, nine points adrift of third-placed Chelsea.
After 15 minutes, the meeting was over and Manek left the room.
A week later, at 8:45am on Monday, Manek was back inside the women’s first-team training facility. But this time it was head coach Marc Skinner who was in front of the players, sitting in a chair rather than standing, interpreted by one person present as a sign that he was attempting to contain his emotions. Skinner said he was leaving after a mutual termination of his contract had been agreed. He thanked the players for allowing him to say goodbye and spoke of his gratitude for the connections made, saying he would always remain a fan.
Then he stood up and left.
As The Athletic reported on Monday morning, Skinner’s five-year tenure as head coach of United Women has come to an end. People close to the situation said he offered his resignation on Sunday evening before reaching an agreement with the club.
The offer, according to sources familiar with the situation, was the culmination of frustrations built over the past year regarding the direction of the women’s team, specifically investment in the summer. The club insist the decision to part ways was arrived at mutually and that it was in the best interests of all parties.
They expect to appoint a new head coach swiftly — background checks have already been completed on potential successors — and the club’s view is that a new manager will bring fresh energy and a renewed ambition.
Skinner’s relationship with Manchester United had grown increasingly frayed. He had publicly implored the board to back the women’s team, stating in April after United’s quarter-final Champions League exit: “I’m incredibly proud of what my players are doing on the resources we have. Because we wear Manchester United’s badge, everybody expects us to be the very best team in the world. We have that expectation too. Yet we’ve got to grow because we’re eight years old.
“You (can) give me all the flak. That’s no problem; that’s my job. 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?”
According to multiple people inside and outside the club, United’s budget for the summer ranks between the sixth and seventh lowest in the WSL. They have made two signings so far this summer, reserve goalkeeper Janina Leitzig from relegated Leicester City and Spain defender Andrea Medina on a free transfer. Meanwhile, five players have departed, including France winger Melvine Malard (who had the most goal involvements of any player at the club last season) to Chelsea after United opted against meeting the player’s salary expectations.
It is anticipated there will be at least one more first-team departure this summer to augment the overall operating budget, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Recruitment staff were made aware before last season ended that exits were required to raise funds to sign new players. Defenders Millie Turner and Lisa Naalsund were sold to Birmingham City for £100,000 ($135,000) each last month, while the £850,000 sale of Malard to Chelsea represented a record for United Women.
The sale was outwardly portrayed as a model of smart business. But, while staff acknowledged the fee received was impressive, multiple sources inside the women’s setup worried it filled a significant hole in the summer’s budget.
Skinner’s side reached the quarter-finals in their maiden Champions League campaign but failed to qualify for Europe for the 2026-27 season after the depth of their squad was exposed amid a busy season.
Failing to qualify for the Champions League meant United missed out on significant revenue. Last season, the club earned a minimum of £1.38m for reaching the quarter-final stage.
According to two sources close to the team, in the two weeks leading up to May’s World Sevens tournament in London — a global seven-a-side competition — United transformed one of their full-size pitches at the club’s Carrington training ground into seven-a-side dimensions to prepare as best they could. The competition’s winners were set to receive £500,000 in prize money, while the runners-up received £250,000. Chelsea defeated United 6-5 in the tournament’s final.
The circumstances make United CEO Omar Berrada’s 2025 public ambition for the senior women’s and men’s teams to lift their respective league titles by 2028 an even more challenging proposition.
As The Athletic reported in April, after United’s Champions League exit, concerns over the future of the women’s team culminated in a meeting in March in which club owners and decision-makers met with senior figures from the women’s team. Three options for the future of the team were floated: the acquisition of minority outside investment similar to fellow WSL sides Chelsea, Everton and Aston Villa; a full sale of the women’s team; or an increased cash injection from the owners.
United’s women’s team currently operate under the same structure as the men’s side, with 75 per cent owned by Manchester United PLC and 25 per cent owned by INEOS.
Exploring investment streams into the women’s team has been considered a necessity since INEOS bought a minority stake in the club in December 2024, but the pace has not been swift. In 2024, United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said focusing on the operations and finances of the men’s setup had precluded him from engaging in detail with the plan for the women’s team.
In Skinner’s five years as head coach, the club made 39 signings. The team’s overall operating budget increased from just under £5m in 2021-22 to £10.7m during the 2024-25 season, according to the team’s most recent accounts, while the club recorded a pre-tax profit of £510,000 in the 2024-25 accounts. Those accounts also reveal United spent £548,000 on transfers that season, while bringing in £167,000 from player sales.
Running United Women via a “sustainable investment model” has been a key aim of the club hierarchy, particularly heading into the upcoming season. United’s view is that the current expenditure across the WSL is “not sustainable” and the new direction will support “long-term” success.
However, since the March meeting, concerns have mounted amongst some players and members of staff that United could slip behind their nearest WSL rivals.
For the 2024-25 season, United spent £5.88m on wages, just over half of Arsenal’s £11.3m, though they did report that pre-tax operating profit of £510,000, an improvement on the year prior, in which they recorded a loss of £119,000.
Manchester City, who finished fourth in the WSL that year, reported a wage bill of £8.5m, almost £4m more than United. However, the club also recorded a net loss of £2.8m. Chelsea’s accounts recorded a pre-tax loss of £17.1m, alongside revenues of £21.3m.
United maintain that the current expenditure across the WSL is not sustainable, and thus have chosen a new direction to achieve long-term success.
Even so, there is fresh concern among players and staff that United will be overtaken by teams that finished below them last season, specifically London City Lionesses and Tottenham Hotspur, who have invested strongly in their squads and staff this summer, the former in particular.
Under the ownership of American businesswoman Michele Kang, London City have made statement signings in Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, Spain international Mapi Leon and former England No 1 Mary Earps, amongst others. Tottenham broke their club transfer record with the signing of highly-rated France defender Alice Sombath, along with former Arsenal midfielder Victoria Pelova and last season’s Golden Boot runner-up Kirsty Hanson.
Last Monday’s exchange with Manek left a number of players and staff members frustrated, according to multiple team sources, particularly after a season in which figures within United Women’s hierarchy and team felt they overachieved given the resources and squad depth.
Two sources close to the squad say at least one senior player has already agreed a deal in principle to leave at the end of the coming season, with an offer on the table from a rival team above United in the table. Other staff members and players are looking to leave before the start of this season due to frustrations internally.
United’s stated aim of giving young players a chance and placing greater importance on the academy has brought excitement among young players and some members of staff. United have given professional contracts to three prospects in 17-year-old Layla Drury, 18-year-old Jess Anderson and 18-year-old Scarlett Hill. Growing the academy is seen as a vital source of first-team talent, given the increasingly inflated global transfer market. United have invested significantly in the academy with an ambition of developing one of the country’s best youth systems.
The Athleticreported in April that some sources close to the players and team questioned Skinner’s ability to bring through young talent, stating his preference instead was to deal with established players already armed with ample senior experience.
Last season, United ranked lowest among WSL clubs for minutes given to players under 21 years old. Before Drury was given her league debut, aged 16, on February 15, Skinner fielded a player under 21 years old for just 90 minutes across the whole league season. This came in the 3-0 defeat by Manchester City in November, when Wales goalkeeper Safia Middleton-Patel deputised for regular No 1 Phallon Tullis-Joyce, who had suffered a fractured eye socket.
Many clubs in the WSL are reckoning with the challenge of integrating young talent into competitive first-team environments, while other team sources say the pressure on United Women to achieve Champions League football and compete among the established top three discouraged staff members from placing young players in high-pressure situations that could expose them harshly.
This season, there is a recognition that more young players will need to be given first-team minutes out of necessity, given the summer’s limited recruitment, and that a coach capable of helping develop them swiftly for first-team football will be critical.
Whether young, talented players will be able to help the club achieve their ambitions, however, remains to be seen.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Manchester United, Manchester United WFC, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Super League, Women’s Champions League
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