Marc Skinner exclusive: Man Utd Women boss excited by first Old Trafford game in front of fans | Football News

Manchester United boss Marc Skinner has emphasised he wants the team to put on an eye-catching display in Sunday’s historic Women’s Super League clash with Everton at Old Trafford.

The match – live on Sky Sports – will be a first for United’s women’s side at the ground in front of fans, a year on from them making their bow there with no crowd in attendance due to coronavirus restrictions as they beat West Ham 2-0.

Up to 20,000 fans are expected inside the venue to mark the momentous occasion, and Skinner told Sky Sports: “It is a special stadium, without a doubt.

“The energy inside will drive us on but the players aren’t going to hear instructions they usually would so we’re doing that throughout this week. The players will see their players, the fans and those they love.

“How they react is theirs to own. We have to control our ‘controllables’ and play to our principles and adapt to the game but it’s going to be special.

“It just feels like the stadium has this wonderful history, and you can feel it, you can absorb it. There’s some romanticism left in football where you can still feel these things.

“It’ll be exciting to play in this wonderful stadium in front of our home fans. Hopefully it’s the right effect where it spurs us on to exact every bit of energy from our players.

“I want to put on a performance on Sunday that shows everybody that we can, in the future, fill this stadium for our women’s team as well as our men’s team.

“The players absolutely deserve this and the club have been wonderful in terms of their vision for what we’re trying to achieve here. Let’s make it a really good event.

“We have to put on experiences that people want to come back to feel and be a part of.”

The 39-year-old former Birmingham and Orlando Pride boss, who took charge of United last summer, added: “Rest assured, my job will not be complete by just winning things, and titles and so on – my job is to leave women’s sport in a better place.

“That’s my job. I feel that engrossed. I’ve given a lot of years to it, it’s my life, it’s my passion.

“I want to leave this game where I know that we are attracting the fans that the men’s game can attract. That would be a really good way to bow out.”

Skinner turned 39 this week, and marking the occasion with a victory in front of the supporters would be the perfect gift.

“We’d love the three points, but I’d add to that a good performance,” Skinner said. “When you’re coming to the Theatre of Dreams, you should put on a performance and I want our players to harness that energy.

“If we want to be playing on this stage more often, we’ve got to absorb what’s around us and use it to energise the players in the right way. It can’t be too big. It’s got to be seen as a privilege.

“We need to always focus on what we can control – which is our attitude, our tempo and our mentality. There will be things on the day and in the game that is out of control which is why we love football.”

United currently sit third in the WSL on 32 points – six adrift of Chelsea in second, who have a game in hand. Skinner would see preventing rivals Manchester City from leapfrogging them as progress in the closing weeks of the season and the all-important quest for Champions League qualification.

“It’s not pressure – it’s a privilege,” Skinner added. “Manchester City are a very good team but we’re in a position we deserve to be in. We’re both in a viable position to fight for this third space but all we can do is focus on our next opponent.

“We have to play our own game and not worry about them.”

Duggan: No regrets over Everton return

Toni Duggan has stressed she has no regrets about re-joining Everton and has optimism for better times ahead, including hopes of playing for England again.

The former Manchester City, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid forward returned to her first club last summer amid talk of the Toffees’ potential to push for a top-three finish in the forthcoming Women’s Super League season.

The campaign that has followed has seen them endure struggles that have led to two managers – Willie Kirk and Jean-Luc Vasseur – departing and they currently lie ninth in the table with 17 points from 16 games.

Duggan told the PA news agency: “I wouldn’t say I have any regrets. I wanted to come back and I wanted to help the club.

“The fact we’re in a worse position makes me more motivated. I want this club to do well. I’ve been at the club when we were in the Champions League and that’s where I believe this team can get to.”

Opta stats: Can Everton end winless run?

• Manchester United have never lost in five meetings against Everton in the FA WSL (W4 D1), though they dropped points for the first time in this fixture in the reverse meeting in November.
• Everton have only faced Manchester City (P12 L12) more times without ever winning in the FA WSL than they have Manchester United (P5 W0 D1 L4).
• In all competitions, Everton have beaten Manchester United just once in nine attempts (D1 L7), defeating them 1-0 in a League Cup match in December 2020 thanks to a second-half goal from Lucy Graham.
• In 17 FA WSL matches against the two Manchester clubs, Everton have picked up just one point from a possible 51 (W0 D1 L16) and scored only eight times while conceding 45. Away from home, they have lost all eight games by an aggregate score of 21-3.
• Manchester United have won each of their last four home matches in the FA WSL, scoring 17 goals without reply, and never fewer than three in a game in this run. Only one side has ever won five consecutive home matches in the competition without conceding, while scoring 3+ goals in each match – Reading between February and September 2018.
• Since Everton’s first FA WSL match under Chris Roberts, no side has lost more matches than the Toffees (4) and only Reading (14) have conceded more goals than they have (13).

Watch Man Utd Women vs Everton Women live on Sky Sports Premier League from 11.30am on Sunday; Kick-off at 12.30pm.