Man Utd unveil Eva Olid as new head coach following Marc Skinner's shock departure just one month before new WSL season

Olid's appointment was announced on Wednesday morning, after the surprising departure of Skinner just two days' prior. The 43-year-old, who was the Women's Super League's longest serving manager before his exit, agreed to mutually terminate his contract last week, after initially offering his resignation. That came amid a slow and quiet summer transfer window which has raised questions over how competitive United will be in the upcoming WSL season, which begins in less than a month.

It was widely reported that the club was looking for a manager with a track record in developing players to replace Skinner, as a new direction with a focus on the promotion of academy talent and young prospects takes shape. United identified Olid as the perfect candidate for such a job, with her putting pen to paper on a two-year contract this week, with the option of a further year.

Speaking upon the announcement of her appointment, Olid said: "The opportunity to become head coach of Man Utd 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.

"There is already so much talent within our squad and I am excited to work with the players to support them to fulfil their immense potential. I am joining Manchester United at a really exciting time. There is a clear alignment in our shared vision for long-term success. I cannot wait to begin preparing a team that will make our incredible supporters proud."

Matt Johnson, the club's director of women's football, added: "Eva is an outstanding coach with an incredible determination to succeed. Her remarkable achievements at Hearts showcased her ability to maximise the potential of individual players whilst also implementing an exciting style of football. We are delighted that she will now bring those qualities to Man Utd.

"Eva is the perfect coach to lead us into an exciting new era. She shares our commitment to developing exciting homegrown and young players, a tradition deeply embedded in our club’s history and culture, as well as improving established senior internationals, both of which form an integral part of our vision for long-term, sustainable success."

Olid has spent the last five years in Scotland with Hearts, in what has been her only senior coaching job to date. The Spaniard led the club to a fourth-placed finish in the 2022-23 season to spark a four-year streak of top-half finishes, reached the Scottish Cup final in 2024 and then guided Hearts to a first SWPL title last time out, before departing at the end of the campaign.

Young players were at the core of Olid's teams in Scotland, a fact which has understandably caught the eye of Man Utd as they embark on a chapter in which they want talented prospects to be at the heart of what they do. Translating that to the WSL won't be easy, with the SWPL a league that generally features a lot more young, homegrown players than that south of the border, and Olid will need time to do that, but it appears that United are willing to give her that time.

Despite that change in focus, and Olid's appointment, Man Utd clearly still need to bring in some more signings this summer. So far, their only incomings have been young defender Andrea Medina, from Atletico Madrid, and Janina Leitzig, who will be a back-up to first-choice goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

The departures of Leah Galton, Hannah Blundell, Millie Turner, Lisa Naalsund and Melvine Malard, with Gabby George seemingly soon to follow, mean that there are a lot of gaps in this squad, even with the integration of academy talents. That was a big factor in the disappointing 2025-26 season which saw United finish a distant nine points off Champions League qualification.