Marc Skinner reached an agreement with Manchester United to terminate his contract on Monday. How did it get to this, and will the Red Devils be better off for it?
Just a month before the start of the 2026-27 Women’s Super League season, Marc Skinner has left his post as Manchester United manager.
Having taken over at the club back in 2021, the 43-year-old was the WSL’s longest-serving manager, a title that has now been handed over to Charlton Athletic’s Karen Hills.
Excluding managers of promoted clubs, that now leaves Chelsea’s Sonia Bompastor as the longest-reigning current WSL manager, with the ex-Lyon boss having only joined the Blues in May 2024.
Since his first season in the Man Utd dugout, Skinner won more WSL matches (64) than any other manager, but his win percentage of 58.2% was just the seventh highest in the division over that period (20+ games).
During the club’s short history, having been founded just eight years ago, many high points can be partly attributed to the success of Skinner.
In 2022-23, he led the club to a second-place league finish, their highest to date, and in 2024, Man Utd defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 in front of 76,082 fans at Wembley Stadium to win the FA Cup. This was not only Skinner’s first major title, but also the club’s.
Curiously, that was the first women’s FA Cup final since 2005 not to feature one of Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester City, a clear indication of the increasing competition in the WSL.
Despite finishing just fifth in the league that campaign, Man Utd’s lowest finish to date, this piece of silverware had the potential to catapult the club to new heights.
Last season, though, Man Utd came away with nothing but a fourth-place finish, ending the season a sizeable nine points behind third-place Chelsea. Tottenham were breathing down their necks, too, with just four points separating the two.
Across the last five years, draws have been a big problem for Man Utd. No club have drawn more matches in the WSL than them (25) since 2021-22, with eight of those ending 0-0 – also the most of any side. An inability to turn draws into wins has held the club back.
The prevailing narrative of Skinner’s tenure at Man Utd, though, was undeniably a failure to really turn the club into one of the WSL’s powerhouses on the pitch. As it turned out, consistently competing with Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City was a step too far for Skinner and Co.
When analysing his points per game against all of Man Utd’s opponents in the last four seasons, it becomes clear to see that he just couldn’t find the consistency needed to make the team a mainstay in the top three.
Since Skinner took charge, Man Utd have scored 31 goals against the big three and conceded 63. In this time, they have won just 20% of their games against both Man City and Arsenal. Against Chelsea? Zero.
Of a possible 90 points across 30 WSL games against the big three during Skinner’s reign, United collected only 21 points (W4 D9 L17).
When looking at the majority of top-level metrics in the WSL since 2021-22, Man Utd are pretty comfortably fourth across the board. They’ve won the fourth-most matches (64), scored the fourth-most goals (222) and have the fourth-most points (217).
To bridge that gap, Man Utd needed to show ambition in the transfer market and bring in quality players that could finally push the club forward – Skinner knew as much.
Back in April, he made public his demands for the upcoming summer transfer window. Speaking to the press, he said: “I’m absolutely so passionate about what we do. But we have to do some changes in the summer.
“We have to make some changes to make sure that we can compete with what’s clearly a financial market at times, right?”
Well, that’s not exactly how this summer has panned out for the Red Devils.
Man Utd have made just two signings ahead of the 2026-27 season, the joint fewest in the league alongside rivals Man City. But after winning the WSL title last season, City went into this summer with far less work to do.
Twenty-two-year-old defender Andrea Medina and goalkeeper Kadidiatou Diani. Their most recent signing was Spain youth international Daniela Arques from Portuguese club Sporting CP.
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1 week ago Emily CloggTottenham, who finished just behind Man Utd last time out, have also had a far stronger summer. The most notable of their six additions are OL Lyonnes defender Lia Wälti joining the Seagulls after a one-year stint with Juventus was a huge coup for the club.
There is a serious possibility United could slide down the table if they don’t invest this summer – and it seems as though a lack of funding and hunger from the board may have played a part in Skinner’s sudden departure just a month before the new WSL season gets under way.
This is particularly poignant given Skinner’s predecessor, Casey Stoney, apparently resigned in similar circumstances. According to reports, Stoney had become increasingly frustrated with the board’s lack of investment into the women’s team, causing her to step away.
Back in 2024, the club released a plan dubbed “Project 150”. In this were two main goals for Man Utd: both the men’s and women’s teams would have won their respective leagues by 2028, which marks the club’s 150th anniversary.
Well, they’re two years into that plan, and there seems to be more regression than progression when it comes to Man Utd Women.
Fans are sure to feel conflicted about Skinner’s exit. On the one hand, his overall performances and consistency weren’t quite up to scratch for a team aiming to win the WSL by 2028.
On the other, an argument can be made that the blame ultimately lies with those higher up behind the scenes.
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Marc Skinner Wasn’t Perfect, But Man Utd Have Far Bigger Problems Opta Analyst.
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