Official: Man United Women starlets return from successful loan spell in Championship

Manchester United Women have made a decision regarding the future of two of their young starlets. Loan spells United had five players out on loan from their Women’s team this season. To follow where all of United’s loanees are in action this season, click here. Lucy Newell has been playing at Birmingham City, while Jess Simpson has been gaining much-needed game time at Southampton. Scottish midfielder Emma Watson is also currently out on loan at Crystal Palace. The duo of Kiera Barry and Evie Rabjohn were also collecting valuable first-team experience at Sunderland in the Championship, but they have been recalled this month from their spells. Recalled from loan spells The club’s official website reported earlier today, “Keira Barry and Evie Rabjohn have returned to Manchester United Women after spending the first half of the season on loan with second-tier side Sunderland.” ℹ️ We can confirm that @Evie_Rabjohn and Keira Barry have returned from their respective loans at Sunderland 🤝 Read more 📲 https://t.co/Qa8ywrnVIm pic.twitter.com/BmKPfXgIXz — Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) January 6, 2026 Barry played 11 games for the Black Cats and was on target three times. Her goals included a double in the FA Cup against Derby County and a strike away to rivals Newcastle United at St. James’ Park. Rabjohn featured six times for Sunderland as she has been finding her feet again after a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury that badly disrupted her season last year. She made her debut against Liverpool in the League Cup. Future It is unclear what the future holds for both young players. On the one hand, Marc Skinner’s side are involved in four different tournaments and will need extra bodies to cover all the additional minutes they will be playing. On the other hand, it is unlikely that either Barry or Rabjohn would see any meaningful minutes, especially attacker Barry, given that United have just pulled off the exciting signing of Lea Schuller from Bayern Munich. Therefore, it seems likely United will pursue another temporary switch for the duo. Keira Barry and Evie Rabjohn Sunderland stats PlayerMatchesGoalsAssists Keira Barry1131 Evie Rabjohn600 Source: fotmob.com Featured image Michael Campanella via Getty Images 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.