Sir Jim Ratcliffe has admitted he hasn’t gone into ‘detail’ on plans for Manchester United Women as INEOS has been ‘focused’ on the men’s side.
- Man Utd had their worst WSL finish this year
- Earps among key names out of contract
- But Ratcliffe has been ‘focused’ on men’s team
WHAT HAPPENED?
The comments come off the back of a tough 2023-24 season for the Red Devils in the Women’s Super League and have understandably caused concern among fans. United won a first major trophy when they beat Tottenham in the Women’s FA Cup final but that only papered over the cracks in a campaign that saw the club register its worst-ever WSL finish, coming fifth.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Given that underperformance, a year on from United pushing Chelsea to the final day in the title race, many expected head coach Marc Skinner to be let go on the expiration of his contract this summer. However, the 41-year-old was handed a new deal, which prompted plenty of questions from the fanbase.
WHAT RATCLIFFE SAID
In an interview with Bloomberg, Ratcliffe has now admitted that plans for the women’s team have not yet been outlined in great ‘detail’. “We haven’t got into that level of detail with the women’s team yet,” he said. “We’ve been pretty much focused on how we resolve the [men’s] first team issues.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Such comments have added further concern for United fans in a summer which sees them sweating over the futures of some key names. Mary Earps, Katie Zelem, Nikita Parris and Lucia Garcia are among those out of contract, with the latter seemingly set for a move to Mexico.
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WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?
Fans will hope for some positive updates on the likes of Earps in the coming weeks as United try to improve on a difficult 2023-24 campaign. They’ll also hope that Ratcliffe and his staff can develop their plan for the women’s team further, that’s for sure.
