Official: Man United Women announce departure of “iconic” forward

Manchester United Women have continued their frenetic January transfer window. A sea of ins and outs United have seemingly answered Marc Skinner’s call to boost squad depth with the signings of Hanna Lundkvist, Lea Schuller and Ellen Wangerheim. The Red Devils have also recalled several loan players, such as Lucy Newell, Evie Rabjohn and Keira Barry. Hannah Blundell has also been sent on loan to Everton until the end of the season, and Brazilian Geyse has been sold to Club América. Latest departure The Peoples Person recently reported that Rachel Williams was close to a move to Leicester City, and the 38-year-old has now completed the deal. According to the club’s official website, “Manchester United Women forward Rachel Williams has joined Leicester City on a permanent deal.” The veteran attacker scored 21 goals in 90 appearances for the Red Devils. Williams spent four years at the club, and her highlight was scoring a goal in the FA Cup final victory over Tottenham Hotspur in 2024 at Wembley. The site continues that Williams will return to her former club: “Born in Leicestershire, Williams first joined the club as a twelve-year-old, before enjoying spells at Chelsea, Doncaster Rovers and Birmingham City, among others. Everyone at United wishes Rach all the best in her next chapter.” You’ll be missed, Rach 🫶 pic.twitter.com/QgjNPO8bf2 — Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) January 15, 2026 Leicester confirmed via their club site that Williams had signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with the club, with the possibility of a one-year extension. Commenting on her move, Williams asserted, “I started my career here and I’ve always said I’d like to come back. Leicester is my hometown, I absolutely love Leicester and have always followed the Foxes.” She added, “I feel like I still have a lot to offer for the Club, and the opportunity to come back is something I’ve been looking forward to doing.” Her former manager Marc Skinner also praised her contributions to United and claimed she was “iconic” in the club’s history. Rachel Williams’ career ClubMatches playedGoalsYears Active Doncaster Rovers Belles44152008-10 Leicester City302010-11 Birmingham49282011-13 Chelsea1262014 Notts County43152015-16 Birmingham4192016-2020 Tottenham4162020-22 Man United90212022-26 Source: Wikipedia The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.