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

Manchester United Women made a huge decision in the summer when they decided to part ways with Marc Skinner.

Skinner departure

The English manager had been in charge of the team since 2021 and had guided them to their first trophy in 2024, the FA Cup.

Last season also saw the club’s inaugural participation in the Champions League end in the quarter-finals.

Nonetheless, Spaniard Eva Olid was appointed at the start of last month and, in the latest episode of Inside Carrington, Director of Sport for the Women’s team, Matt Johnston, has spoken out on the decision.

Commenting on Skinner’s departure, Johnston explained, “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, so we need to say thank you to him.”

In spite of this, Johnston was quick to point out that the club needed a new direction and someone who “would look at developing young players while still being successful — someone young, innovative and aligned with our values.”

Eva Olid

The Spanish coach had success at Scottish side Heart of Midlothian doing just that, and Johnston elaborated on the decision to appoint her.

He added, “when we met Eva, it was 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.”

Elaborating further on the style of football United Women fans can expect to see moving forward, he explained, “very much, her philosophy is about 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 pointed out that United Women are still a relatively young team, not even a decade old, and Olid’s appointment also fits into this philosophy.

He explained, “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 be in action when they face Chelsea this Sunday at the Progress with Unity Stadium.
Featured image by Richard Pelham via Getty Images