Man United shocked everyone to make UWCL quarterfinals, but is it progress?

Manchester United’s season has been a rollercoaster, and it will likely end without silverware. An early exit from the FA Cup (to Chelsea), heartbreak in the League Cup final (Chelsea again), and an eight-point gap behind local rivals Manchester City with four games to play in the race for the Women’s Super League (WSL) title paint a bleak picture on paper. More so if they fail to secure a top-three spot to guarantee a place in Europe again next season.

Yet beneath the disappointment lies a breakthrough. In their debut campaign in the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL), United have powered their way to the quarterfinals. That European run has silenced doubts about their ability to compete at the highest level and will ultimately redefine this season not as a failure, but as an unexpected success.

Even with a host of setbacks of their own to deal with — including injuries, missing boots, wrong-colored kits, and a minority owner (Sir Jim Ratcliffe) whose comments have undermined the development of the team — United have proven they have the mettle to mix it with Europe’s best.

But how far can they go? And, after winning the FA Cup in 2024, is this season a sign of progress?

A European debut to remember

Manchester United only re-established their women’s team in 2018, after it had been disbanded in 2005. Following Malcom Glazer’s takeover that year, the team — which was competing in the third tier with little success — was deemed unprofitable by the ownership and the commercially driven decision meant axing the senior team and focusing on their girls’ academy instead.

Since the team’s return, United have won promotion to the WSL (2019), sealing a top-four finish for three straight seasons, before finishing second in 2022-23, picked up their first trophy (FA Cup, 2024) and, this season, qualified for the Champions League knockouts for the first time.

United are still some way from challenging for the WSL title on a regular basis — Manchester City sit eight points clear at the top of the table — and their two other cup runs have already come to an end following defeats to Chelsea. But even if this season ends without a trophy, it would still stand as the most successful campaign in the club’s short history.

The reason? Nobody expected United to get out of the newly formed “Swiss format” Champions League league phase, let alone make it to the quarterfinals.

Before even reaching the competition proper, Marc Skinner’s side had to navigate two qualifying rounds: They saw off PSV Eindhoven 4-0, before defeating Swedish side Hammarby 1-0 to reach the third knockout round against SK Brann. But disaster struck as they lost 1-0 in the first leg in Norway and grabbed headlines when the squad were forced to buy 15 pairs of new boots ahead of the match after a bag went missing in transit.

A local shop owner, Andre Gullord, told the BBC that United had spent several thousand pounds replacing the boots. “We are a big store, but they were very lucky we had enough boots in stock that were the right size,” he said. “They paid between £200 and £230 for each pair, and £30 for the shin guards. We have had the odd player come in because they have left their boots behind, but never the entire team.”

Though they were about £4,000 down in extra footwear, thankfully, back home for the second leg and with all their boots and equipment accounted for, Elisabeth Terland scored a hat trick to give them a 3-1 win on aggregate and seal a league-phase spot for the first time ever.

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Middleton-Patel reflects on ‘special’ first UWCL game for Man United

Safia Middleton-Patel speaks after starting her first game in the Women’s Champions League for Manchester United.

Incredibly, despite never having reached the stage before or played the caliber of opposition, United finished sixth in the league phase, with four wins and two defeats. A pair of 1-0 victories over Valerenga and Atlético Madrid got things started, but it was 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain — the side that knocked them out in qualifying in 2022-23 — highlighted their progress.

However, a pair of heavy defeats to two of the competition’s best teams brought them back to earth. Losing 5-2 to VfL Wolfsburg and 3-0 to eight-time champions OL Lyonnes served as a reminder of the gap that still exists with Europe’s elite, but United were able to dig deep in the final game to beat Juventus 1-0 and secure a place in the knockout round playoffs against familiar foes Atletico.

“[The competition has] exposed us to different styles of play, and it’s an experience that has helped us grow quickly,” Skinner said.

“That’s probably the thing I’m most proud of. The challenges… I look back at when we played Lyon, the first game against Valerenga, all the way through to the last [league phase] game against Juventus, and the growth in our team is incredible.”

All through the league phase, United had to deal with disruption. First-choice goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce missed the end of 2025 with a facial injury (leaving backup Safia Middleton-Patel to make her senior debut vs. PSG), forward Celin Bizet announced her pregnancy and had to drop out of the squad, while Fridolina Rolfö, Jayde Riviere, Millie Turner, Ella Toone and Anna Sandberg spent time on the sidelines which exposed a lack of depth at Skinner’s disposal.

In previous years, United’s propensity for crumbling after one or two injuries derailed any hope of success. However, following a more pragmatic, reformed transfer strategy, with a focus on plugging key gaps with specific player profiles, rather than just bulking out the squad, United barely looked out of sync.

A renewed transfer focus

The increase in games this season have forced the club to rotate. But, having been reluctant to do so in previous years, it has been a blessing in disguise for a side that are still learning the art of winning. Now, they can grind out results even when their football isn’t the prettiest.

The club’s previous strategy — or lack thereof — has been heavily criticized for failing to use players correctly, a failure to rotate, and seeing the departures of multiple key players (such former captain Katie Zelem, goalkeeper Mary Earps and England striker Alessia Russo) on free transfers. It wasn’t just who left, though … almost everyone left: In fact, in the summer of 2023, United faced an exodus of 22 players — several moved on loan initially before leaving the club permanently — and they signed nine players in return. Three years later, only five remain.

The following year, they said farewell to 18 players, though plenty were academy players flying the nest, with eight signings in return, all who have been key to the current successes. ESPN sources close to the club have praised director of women’s football, Matt Johnson, who took over after Polly Bancroft departed the club in the first phase of minority owners INEOS’ overhaul of the women’s team.

The past two transfer windows have seen a more refined transfer strategy, sources told ESPN. United signed fewer players, but the quality of the incoming stars increased and so did their squad value which, per player marketplace TransferRoom, now exceeds £2 million.

Much of this season’s success in Europe stems from improved recruitment, such as the signing of Dominique Janssen, who joined in the summer of 2024 from Wolfsburg, and whose grit this season has become infectious among the squad — though her error did cost the side the opening goal against Chelsea in the League Cup final. More recent additions have proved beneficial, too, with both Julia Zigiotti Olme and Park contenders for WSL signing of the season.

Operating in the Scandinavian market has also been key for United. Though plenty of other clubs have been using the feeder leagues, United have been ahead of the curve. Eight players now hail from Sweden or Norway, which makes up a third of their squad.

January’s transfer window offered a chance to add players and mitigate any injuries. In came forwards Ellen Wangerheim and Lea Schüller, as well as defender Hanna Lundkvist, and that added depth proved valuable as United comfortably won their knockout-phase playoff tie against Atlético 5-0 on aggregate.

Still, even with a better recruitment strategy and a revived squad spirit, comical twists around United have never been far away. United were informed at short notice that they could not wear their home jerseys for the second leg after the Spanish side failed to bring the pre-approved kit and officials deemed there to be a clash, meaning United had to play in their black third kit at Old Trafford. Thankfully for Skinner, unlike the boot drama in Norway, it was not enough to stop them from sealing a 2-0 win on the night.

Now, in a quarterfinal matchup that few could have foreseen, United will face German giants Bayern Munich, the first leg at home on March 25. If their dream run continues, they will face either Barcelona or Real Madrid in the semifinals. It is a lofty goal, but the club are dreaming of going even further.

“We know how difficult Bayern are going to be, but why not? There’s an air of optimism of the unknown,” Skinner told a news conference in February. “Sometimes, the newbies have that… ‘Let’s just go and see what happens’. We’re arriving, and we believe, and that’s a powerful thing in sport. Bayern are a fantastic team, but do you [as an opponent] really want to get Manchester United right now? I don’t think you do.”

Are Man United making progress under Skinner?

Not everyone sees this season in quite the same light. While few would dispute how impressive it is for United to reach the Champions League quarterfinals at the first time of asking, the lack of a domestic title challenge has led some to view their campaign as slightly underwhelming.

“Honestly, I think Skinner’s time is up,” United fan Olivia Gibson tells ESPN. “I don’t see what more he can do for the team. We really should be further ahead and not constantly saying ‘oh we’re getting closer’.”

Though United have narrowed the gap with Chelsea, drawing this season 1-1 in the league rather than hefty defeats like previous years, it has been “jarring” for Gibson and her friends as it “still feels like [the club are] making excuses rather than fixing the issues.”

She adds: “We spend money, we have enough money to spend like we’re one of the richest clubs so it’s not like we can’t go after those players, but then we can’t match what other clubs are doing … The club constantly goes round in circles and we need a new manager because things won’t suddenly change with the same manager.”

The reality is more complicated. No WSL side has mastered the balance between competing for the league title and making a deep run in the Champions League; even Chelsea, who have dominated domestically for the last six years, have yet to win Europe’s biggest prize; while Arsenal lifted the Champions League last season, but it came at the cost of their league form, with damaging defeats to Brighton and Aston Villa effectively ending their WSL title hopes as their focus shifted toward the final in Lisbon.

And, in the clearest sign yet that Europe can impact a domestic campaign, this season’s WSL leaders Manchester City have taken full advantage of their absence of European football to open up a seemingly unassailable eight-point lead at the top of the table.

This is not a problem unique to United; it is one that English clubs have struggled with for years. No side has completed the quadruple since Arsenal in 2007-08, and United were never going to battle comfortably across multiple fronts in their first-ever Champions League campaign. But while much of the progress the club has made this season reflects Skinner’s work, the fanbase remains split on his future.

The contract extension he signed in 2024 was met with skepticism by some fans, particularly after a disappointing fifth-placed finish in the league that year (although they did win the FA Cup) and some interpreted the decision to retain him as a sign that the club lacked ambition for the women’s team. Some believe next season will be make-or-break for the manager, while others argue United should already be planning for the future and identifying a potential successor who can step in smoothly when his contract expires at the end of next season.

“He’s done better than I thought this season, given all the issues with the owners and spending,” United fan Keiran David tells ESPN. “But I still don’t think he lasts past next year.”

Yet this season has underlined how significant Skinner has been to the team’s development. It is hard to see how United would be in this position had they ripped up the script and replaced him instead of handing him a new contract two years ago. Amid budget cuts at the time, continuity was the path they correctly chose.

Skinner has done enough to ensure that even a trophyless campaign would still represent genuine progress. But, to many, that doesn’t feel enough without something tangible to show for it. The League Cup final loss seemed to rouse another wave of angst towards United. While Skinner seemed to be gaining some more support this season, losing their best chance at a trophy this season to Chelsea (again) has sparked further resentment among fans.

United have won only one of their last 19 games against Chelsea, with the single victory coming in the FA Cup semifinal in 2024. Perhaps if the loss had come against a different opponent, the result would sting less? “I can’t keep watching them collect losers’ medals whenever they play Chelsea,” David adds. “We keep saying we’re getting closer, but we are clearly not.”

What do Man United need to take them forward?

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Marcotti: Ratcliffe has to give a reason to miss Man Utd Women’s FA Cup final

Gab Marcotti criticises Jim Ratcliffe for not providing a reason for his absence from Manchester United Women’s FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea.

This season, United have shown that input from absentee minority owner Ratcliffe is far from essential to the women’s side’s success, as long as the team is financially supported.

There has been plenty of vitriol directed at Ratcliffe following comments made about the women’s team since they took over football operations in February 2024. The 73-year-old has previously described the men’s team as the “main issue” and “what moves the needle,” a remark that implied the women’s side is not one of the club’s priorities. He also referred to the women’s side as “girls” and “an opportunity.”

Ratcliffe has been notably absent from the last two FA Cup finals: the 2024 victory and 2025 loss to Chelsea — yet he still found time to attend the men’s FA Cup final in 2024. As of now, he has yet to appear at a women’s match during either their domestic or European campaigns.

When asked in 2024 about his plans for the team, Ratcliffe admitted he had been focused on “first-team issues,” suggesting decisions regarding the women’s side were still to be determined. That stance was further highlighted by the decision to move the women’s squad out of their purpose-built training facility and into temporary accommodation while the men’s team occupied the space during a £50 million renovation to their Carrington base.

Taken together, these choices undermine the idea of a genuine “one-club mentality” and point to a clear prioritization of the men’s side. But it also raises an intriguing question: what might United achieve if the same level of respect was directed toward the women’s team? Could they become genuine contenders for the Champions League? Might they finally mount a serious title challenge in the WSL?

Given the history of disrespect, continued distance from Ratcliffe may actually work in the women’s team’s favor; a so-called “silent partner” who aids financially but rarely gets involved in operations.

Gibson admitted that she does not want Ratcliffe involved any more than he has been thus far. “We’ve done fine without him,” she says. “I don’t really want someone so against women’s football and the team involved in the club, anyway. He’s said enough already. I don’t think anything will change our minds that he is bad for the [women’s] team.”

As long as investment continues to enable the club to recruit well and remain competitive both on and off the pitch, Ratcliffe’s hands-off approach may ultimately be the most beneficial path forward. Then again, the club could certainly benefit from fewer negative headlines when it comes to the development of their women’s team.

Their journey to the UWCL quarterfinals has already done that. For a club playing in the second tier just seven years ago, this season has laid an impressive foundation. The challenge now is turning it from a breakthrough into the norm.