Katie Zelem leaves Man Utd! Lionesses midfielder follows Lucia Garcia out the door with confirmation of Mary Earps' departure to come in brutal week for Red Devils

The England midfielder is a product of the Red Devils' youth set-up and she returned in 2018 when a women's team was re-established, captaining them from 2019 onwards and becoming a crucial part of their rise from the second-tier. Zelem departs having helped United win the Championship title and last month's FA Cup final, with only Ella Toone having made more appearances for the team in its short history.

The news is a blow to Marc Skinner's side, with them looking set for a rebuilding phase this summer given this flurry of exits. Forward Lucia Garcia joined Mexican side Monterrey yesterday, while Earps and Parris are expected to follow both out of the door. The Lionesses' No.1 is set to join Paris Saint-Germain.

That Man Utd have waited until after the season has ended to communicate news of these departures has not sat well with fans, depriving them of the opportunity to say farewell to stars who have played huge roles in some memorable achievements.

That only adds to frustration that has built because of the exits, news that the women's team will move into portable facilities temporarily to accommodate the men and Sir Jim Ratcliffe's admission that there is no detailed plan yet for how to help Skinner's side improve moving forward.

There's no news yet on where Zelem could go next, though she looks set to have a few options available as there have been rumblings of rumours of interest both in England and abroad recently.