Manchester United to appoint former Hearts manager Eva Olid as head coach
Manchester United are set to appoint former Hearts manager Eva Olid as their new head coach to replace Marc Skinner after his exit on Monday; talks with the 40-year-old are understood to be very advanced and she is expected to meet the squad on Wednesday.
United are confident that the Spanish coach is the right person to lead the club into a new chapter as they concentrate on developing young, homegrown players, sources told the Guardian and the move was first reported by the Telegraph.
Olid led Hearts to their first Scottish Women’s Premier League title last term on a dramatic final day and had been confirmed in April to leave the Edinburgh club this summer by mutual agreement. She spent five years in charge at Hearts and also guided them to the 2024 Scottish Cup final, where they were beaten by Rangers. Her coaching résumé includes work in the United States with Houston Dynamo, with their women’s team and their under-19s men’s squad, and a spell with the Catalan Football Association.
United are understood to be impressed by Olid’s playing style and her ability to develop and improve players, and the club carried out extensive background checks on her prior to publicly announcing Skinner’s departure, with succession planning already well under way. Skinner left partly because of frustration at United’s transfer strategy. Club sources say they view the current level of spending across the WSL as unsustainable and want a different approach focused on their own younger talents and improving the academy to deliver longer-term success.
Skinner informed the playing squad of his decision in a meeting on Monday morning shortly before the news was announced; he had spent five years in charge and his time at the club included winning the 2024 Women’s FA Cup. The news coincided with public tributes from players: Le Tissier said the "energy he brought to the club was amazing", and Toone told reporters: "He wanted to tell the team before it came out. It was nice that he was able to tell us [and] he was able to say goodbye, because he’s done a lot for the club. We can’t thank him enough for everything he’s done, the hard work and the passion that he’s put into leading this team."
Le Tissier said that neither she nor Toone have been consulted on who the next head coach should be but added: "Me and Tooney are at Man United because we want to win and we’ll be doing everything we can to make that happen." She emphasised squad unity, saying, "No matter who comes and goes, we’ve always had that togetherness and that fight for each other and we stick together in tough moments." Le Tissier also underlined the immediate focus on preparation in pre-season, saying they want to make sure "we’re 100% ready for the start of the season."
United finished fourth in the WSL last term and start the new season away to London City Lionesses on 4 September.