The departure of goalkeeping superstar Mary Earps was headline news from United Women’s summer transfer window. Voted the best goalkeeper in the world for the past two seasons, Earps has been a trailblazer for the women’s game in this country, and hugely popular due to her heroics for the England national team.

So pressure was inevitably due to fall on her replacement, as Marc Skinner’s side set out on the 2024/25 season with a clear remit of reclaiming one of the Women’s Super League’s Champions League spots, following a fifth-placed finish last term.

Ahead of the season’s start, Skinner made it clear that American stopper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, signed from Seattle club OL Reign in 2023, would step into Earps’ shoes. And, put simply, it’s fair to say that the 28-year-old has made a near-flawless start to her first campaign as the Reds’ undisputed first-choice goalkeeper…

Don’t miss Phallon’s incredible efforts against Brighton in this highlights package.

Stand-out moment

The 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion was arguably the low point of United Women’s season so far; it marked the first game in which Skinner’s side had failed to claim victory. Tullis-Joyce could have been forgiven a few flashes of her own personal irritation, too. Nikita Parris’s equaliser was the first goal she had conceded.

But Phallon was arguably the Reds’ outstanding performer in Sussex, and made a particularly phenomenal save that will live long in the memory, diving quickly to her right to deny Madison Haley what seemed a certain goal. The American was required throughout to keep a peppy Brighton side at bay and, but for her solidity, our one point might well have withered to zero.

As for Parris’s header, there could be no blame attached to the goalkeeper. The former United forward was just yards out when she instinctively managed to connect a diving header to an already rocketing cross-cum-shot from Maisie Symonds. But another great save, from a Fran Kirby long-ranger in the final stages, further embellished Tullis-Joyce’s credentials as the game’s outstanding figure.

It’s helped give a new-look United squad a solid start to a season that will undoubtedly prove a challenging one, given the increasingly competitive field battling it out at the top of the WSL.

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Phallon said

“I’ve been a little bit of a late bloomer for a goalkeeper,” reflected the Long Islander recently. “Maybe on paper my progress looks a little slower, but you can still have your time. I still believe that no matter what age you are, you can still grow. I’m still learning plenty of new things.

“I want to show my communication skills and just own it. I want to be a strong force at the back. No matter what happens, I want my team-mates to know I’m there for them.

“Everyone knows every goalkeeper has a sprinkling of craziness, so we all have our own sort. I just want my presence to be known. I want to show things that maybe people haven’t seen before.”

So far, our new stopper supreme is more than making good on those positive words.

The boss said

Ahead of the start of the new season, Marc Skinner spoke confidently about Phallon stepping into the role vacated by the popular Earps. “Phallon is the best shot-stopper I have ever worked with in my life,” he eulogised. “She is an incredible footballer, an incredibly intelligent human and I’m really looking forward to showing you what she can do for this team. She is a big-time goalkeeper. That’s why I brought her.” 

After the impressive 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur earlier in October – which included some spells of severe pressure on United’s goal, despite the final scoreline – the boss also hinted that Tullis-Joyce is surging in confidence. “I said to her at the end that she took a massive step forward again today. She is incrementally getting better every week. We were incredibly lucky to have Mary Earps, but are lucky to have Tullis-Joyce.”

Did you know?

Tullis-Joyce (along with Andre Onana) was awarded the PFA’s Community Champion award last season, for her ongoing support of Manchester United Foundation. The American – who has a degree in marine biology – visited high schools in Levenshulme and Stretford, and gave passionate presentations on marine life, even helping students made cuttlefish from clay. 

“I’ve had a great time being with the community and helping out in any way I can,” she beamed. “I just love shedding any kind of light on how awesome our oceans are, and at the school the kids were incredible and loved learning too. I think it’s super important to be a part of our community, especially as professional athletes. So many people helped me along the way and this is my way of giving a little bit back and all that I’ve learned and that’s been passed and shared with me. Passing that on to future generations is what I’d like to do.”

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Paul Smith have been dressing the team and staff in their matchday tailoring for over a decade – providing classic, understated suits with an emphasis on comfort while travelling – but every now and then we work with them on a slightly more adventurous project.

Earlier this year, members of the team including Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw and Altay Bayindir, as well as returning club legend Andy Cole, modelled highlights from the brand’s spring collection.

This time, as we find ourselves on the cusp of party season, we sent six of the current squad’s star players to demonstrate the easy elegance of Paul Smith eveningwear.

Alejandro Garnacho, Victor Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez, Diogo Dalot, Rasmus Hojlund and Jonny Evans got well and truly dressed up, selecting their own looks from Paul Smith’s range of dinner suits, shirts, shoes, and accessories like silk bow ties and cuff links.

We photographed the players at Old Trafford, inside one of the historic ground’s executive suites, and out in the stands.

As well as the suits they chose, the players were also dressed in this season’s velvet blazers, available in a variety of eye-catching colours, from teal to dusty pink.

These jackets are perfect for making an impression over the festive period, whether dressed up or down.

Find out more here.

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Following six matches across three different competitions in October, the vote to crown our latest Men’s Player of the Month is now open.

As a result of their key contributions to our latest half-dozen of Premier League, Europa League and Carabao Cup fixtures, Casemiro, Alejandro Garnacho and Andre Onana are vying for your pick as the nominees for the prize, presented by the club’s new global partner Tiger Beer.

Below, you can make your selection in the poll and remind yourself of how they each pitched in across the month via our player-by-player breakdown. Voting will close at 15:00 GMT on Saturday.

CASEMIRO
3 goals / 1 Man of the Match

While it’s not the primary facet of the Brazilian’s game, Casemiro has shown he has an eye for goal during his two-and-a-bit seasons as a Red, and he displayed that again in October.

The defensive midfielder, who impressed throughout the month, netted three times across our final two games: away to West Ham and at home to Leicester City.

After heading home a late equaliser in the eventual defeat to the Hammers, our no.18 was twice on target and voted Man of the Match in the cup thrashing of the Foxes, with the first of that scoring double – a spectacular long-range effort – likely to be a frontrunner for our men’s Goal of the Month prize, too. See the bottom of this article for more on that…

ALEJANDRO GARNACHO
2 goals / 1 assist / 1 Man of the Match

October 2024 will always be a landmark month for Garna, as he brought up his 100th United appearance during the trip to West Ham’s London Stadium.

A weekend earlier, the talented Academy graduate was voted by supporters as the star man in the 2-1 victory over Brentford, having brilliantly volleyed home our equaliser at Old Trafford.

Last time out, in the cup triumph over Leicester, Alejandro teed up Casemiro’s aforementioned worldie before getting on the scoresheet himself, sweeping home an inviting low cross from Diogo Dalot.

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ANDRE ONANA
1 clean sheet / 1 Man of the Match

United’s Player of the Month for September continued to stand out in October, earning him a shot at retaining his award, as one of the three nominees for this month.

The Cameroonian goalkeeper rose to the top of the Premier League’s clean sheet rankings for 2024/25 by spearheading our shutout in the 0-0 draw at Aston Villa, but his best game of the month was arguably one in which our defence was breached.

Onana was unfortunate to concede after a commendable display in the 1-1 draw at Fenerbahce, which included a stunning show of agility in the first half to deny Youssef En-Nesyri twice in quick succession. Andre was subsequently chosen as our Man of the Match in Turkey.

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WHILE YOU’RE HERE…

We’ve also opened our Men’s Goal of the Month poll for October this afternoon, and we need your help in choosing between the seven nominated attempts.

It’s a strong shortlist, that includes contributions from Player of the Month nominees Casemiro and Garnacho. 

You can watch the efforts in contention for the prize and pick your favourite here…

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Manchester United’s new head coach Ruben Amorim has forged a reputation as one of Europe’s brightest coaches while still only in his 30s, having guided Sporting back to the top of the Portuguese game during an impressive four seasons in Lisbon.

Employing a dynamic, team-oriented system, he was fast tracked to Sporting and achieved great success with the Lisbon giants.

After a playing career spanning Belenenses, Benfica, Braga and Al-Wakrah, he was forced to retire at the age of 32. Nonetheless, he still played four times against United in the Champions League, including twice at Old Trafford, where he’ll now occupy the touchline. Amorim also represented Portugal at two World Cups, making 14 total appearances for his country.

Determined to make his mark in the world of coaching, he started out at lower division Casa Pia and even spent time at Carrington to pick the brains of then-United boss Jose Mourinho, one of his inspirations in the field. His grasp of English was also aided by completing some of his UEFA coaching qualifiers in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Amorim switched to Braga and, after replacing Ricardo Sa Pinto at the helm, set about a remarkable transformation of the team’s fortunes. In early 2020, he led them to Taca da Liga success with a 1-0 victory over FC Porto in the final.

The cup triumph obviously enhanced his growing reputation and, in the league, he won eight of nine games.

Sporting were convinced of his qualities after just 13 games and paid the significant release clause to bring him to Lisbon. The faith in Amorim paid off. After nearly two decades being pipped to the post by rivals Benfica and Porto, Amorim guided Sporting to a first Portuguese title in 19 years in 2020/21. His side suffered only one league defeat across the campaign, and that came after the historic title had already been wrapped up.

The Leões finished runners-up the following season and reached the UEFA Champions League last-16. Despite then losing some key players, he managed to oversee a Europa League victory over Arsenal in a penalty shootout in 2023. With a rebuilt side, Amorim secured his second league crown and Sporting’s 20th Primeira Liga title just last season, and with a 10-point margin ahead of second-placed Benfica.

To date, nine wins out of nine and a goal difference of 30-2 has ensured Sporting are favourites to retain the championship. That record only builds on the consistent levels Amorim has achieved in the Portuguese capital.

Since March 2020, when Amorim took charge, Sporting have the highest win percentage (77%) of any team across Europe’s top 10 leagues, as per Opta. Now, however, Amorim is heading to Old Trafford for a new challenge.

Here in Manchester, he’ll link up with Manuel Ugarte, one of many young talents across the European game who he helped to develop in Lisbon. Others include Matheus Nunes, now at Manchester City, Nuno Mendes, of PSG, and Joao Palhinha, who left Fulham for Bayern Munich last summer.

With a group of high-potential young players at United, fans can rightly be excited at what lies ahead for them under Amorim’s tutelage.

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