“Really inspiring”: Matt Johnston explains why Eva Olid was perfect candidate for Man United Women boss

In a recent interview, Manchester United Women’s Director of Sport Matt Johnston revealed the reasoning behind the club's decision to replace their previous manager Marc Skinner with Eva Olid. Skinner, who had been leading the team since 2021, had previously guided United Women to their inaugural FA Cup victory and a quarter-final run in the Champions League that same season.

Johnston acknowledged Skinner's contributions, stating that "first of all, I want to say thank you to Marc. He had six great seasons here at Manchester United and helped put the club in a better position than when he came in."

Despite this, Johnston emphasized the need for a fresh perspective and a new direction for the women’s team. He explained that the club was seeking someone who could "look at developing young players while still being successful — someone young, innovative and aligned with our values." From this, Johnston highlighted Eva Olid as the perfect candidate for the position.

When they first met, Johnston found Eva to be "really inspiring. She’s charismatic as well, and for us it was brilliant. Here’s a coach who’s aligned with the values of the club and, importantly, with the strategic direction of where we want to go."

Regarding the style of football that fans can expect under Eva’s leadership, Johnston elaborated that she would focus on "dominating the ball, dominating the game and then exploiting space. A word you’ll hear Eva use a lot with the girls is that we’ve got to ‘play with intent’. Can we move forward quickly? Can we maximise the spaces out there? Because we want to score goals and entertain the fans."

Director of Football Operations Ameesh Manek also commended Eva’s appointment, noting that United Women is still a relatively young team, having only been in existence for about a decade. He stated, "Eva has a proven track record of taking a programme that was amateur and turning it into champions in a really short space of time. That connection of philosophy, ethos, culture and values was what really stood out with Eva compared with the other candidates we considered."

United Women will next face Chelsea this Sunday at the Progress with Unity Stadium.