Marc Skinner: Man Utd Women head coach wants to forge 'attacking and adaptive' style of play
Marc Skinner succeeded Casey Stoney at the helm earlier this summer and arrived on a two-year deal from NWSL side Orlando Pride; Manchester United's 2021/22 WSL campaign gets under way against Reading on September 3
Tuesday 17 August 2021 19:06, UK
Marc Skinner wants a Manchester United team with an "adaptive, attacking and exciting" playing style - and the new head coach is planning for the long-term at the club.
The former Birmingham City and Orlando Pride boss was appointed as Casey Stoney's successor in July on a two-year contract ahead of the 2021/22 Women's Super League season.
The 38-year-old managed Florida-based Pride for two seasons in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and thinks his experience in America's top-flight can boost United's chances of bettering their fourth-place finish in the WSL last term.
He said: "I think that this is just going to be a wonderful challenge for everyone. I want an adaptive team that doesn't just have one way of playing.
"What I learned at Birmingham was that our teams were very ball possession-based. In America, I tried that in the first year and it didn't work out, so I had to find out the best way of attacking the NWSL.
"So I want us to be adaptive, but I want to play attacking football and exciting football, which is a brand of football that Manchester United fans expect.
"So it will be a possession-based style but from my time in the NWSL, it will also be about exploiting lines and breaking lines and being aggressive between those lines."
Skinner said that one of the reasons why he joined United earlier this summer was because of the club's ability to plan for the future.
Jess Sigsworth, Jane Ross, Amy Turner, Lauren James, Abbie McManus, Megan Hornby and American duo Christen Press and Tobin Heath have all departed this summer.
Meanwhile, five new faces have come in - Norwegian international Vilde Boe Risa (midfielder) from IL Sandviken, Hannah Blundell (defender) from Chelsea, Sophie Baggaley (goalkeeper) from Bristol City, Aoife Mannion (defender) from Manchester City, and Martha Thomas (striker) from West Ham.
United's new boss says he's not ruling out further activity in terms of transfers as he looks to identify the right candidates to help the club "grow".
He said: "The brilliant thing is I think this club has the ability to plan ahead, at Birmingham and Orlando we recruited in the moment, whereas here, I have already seen plans for players even two years down the line that would be a good fit and would suit the growth of this club.
"We will be looking to add players of the right calibre for this team. I think it's about getting the right people, and this club will look to support us in that.
"If we are going to build a culture and continue to build on such strong foundations then we have to get the right people, so I've been impressed at the ability to plan long term here and that was so inviting for us to come, so yes we are looking to add the right people into the group."
Managing in America gave Skinner the chance to watch USA veterans like Carli Lloyd and witness their influence upon games in the NWSL.
The 30-year-old midfielder will retire at the end of 2021 and play the remainder of the NWSL season with NJ/NY Gotham FC and is set to call time on her career after amassing over 300 international appearances.
Skinner said of Lloyd: "In America, we played Sky Blue FC at the Red Bull Stadium and I would have loved her at Orlando because you could see that she was a dream to play with.
"It's the subtle things that you don't necessarily know when you just see her.
"When there were no fans, you heard how she led her team and she was unplayable at times.
"When I saw her in America and saw her impact on her team first hand, I would have loved to have worked with her."
United's 2021/22 WSL campaign gets underway against Reading on September 3.
