Olid appointed new Man Utd Women head coach

Manchester United Women have appointed Eva Olid as their new head coach.

She replaces Marc Skinner, who left the club on Monday after five years in charge. His departure came just a month before their WSL opener against London City Lionesses on September 4, live on Sky Sports.

It will now be Olid's job to prepare the squad for the upcoming campaign, having led Hearts to a historic first Scottish title last season before departing in the summer.

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The Spaniard also spent five years at her former club, joining in 2021. She had plenty of success too, with Hearts reaching their first Scottish Cup final in 2024, where they lost to Rangers.

However, they did finish two points clear of the Gers in the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) last term, with Olid leaving on a high after it had been announced in April that she would leave by mutual consent at the end of the season.

She is seen by Man Utd as the ideal candidate to develop players within the current squad as well as players coming through the academy.

Olid said: "The opportunity to become head coach of Manchester United Women is a dream come true.

"The club has outstanding infrastructure and everything we need to achieve our ambitions. We have an excellent training facility, an academy that is already producing players capable of performing in a competitive first team and an
exceptional group of support staff."

Man Utd changing their approach to the women's team

The ethos of the women's team is changing. When Ratcliffe and INEOS came in, the target was to win the league by 2028.

Now, the focus is completely different, with the club deciding to concentrate on the academy and developing players from within to challenge for silverware.

Man Utd believe investing more significantly in their academy will lead to longer-term success rather than higher investment in the transfer market which they currently believe is unsustainable.

They feel there has been a lack of return on investment in star players and big wages and are concerned about the ever-increasing cost of trying to be a WSL title contender.

Of course, the men's academy has a history of winning trophies with academy products, but this is untested in the women's game.

But this approach also takes something that is almost anonymous in football - time.

Skinner led Man Utd to four finals - three in the FA Cup and one in the League Cup - winning their first major trophy in the 2023/24 season, as well as competing in Europe for the first time.

They reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season and are the only team to have disrupted the WSL's 'big three'. But if youth is the approach, it may take some years before there are such consistent returns year on year.

And what message does this send to the big-name players already at the club? Ella Toone is out of contract at the end of the season. Will the club's new direction meet her ambitions to win trophies?