Marc Skinner Parts Ways with Manchester United Women Ahead of New Season

Marc Skinner’s time in charge of Manchester United Women is over, brought to an abrupt close by mutual agreement barely a month before the new Women’s Super League season kicks off.

The club confirmed his departure on Monday, ending a five-year spell in which United moved from ambitious contenders to genuine forces in the domestic game and on the European stage.

Skinner, who had a year left on his contract, has chosen to step away with United due to open their WSL campaign at London City Lionesses on 4 September. The timing is stark. Pre-season plans are in motion, the fixture list is out, and now United must pivot quickly.

He arrived in July 2021, succeeding Casey Stoney, and walked into a club still defining its identity at the top level. Under his watch, United reached four domestic cup finals in as many seasons. The breakthrough came in 2024 at Wembley, where they lifted the FA Cup – the club’s first major honour in women’s football and a landmark moment for the modern era of the team.

“Marc Skinner has departed his role as head coach of Manchester United Women by mutual agreement,” read the club statement. “Marc leaves having made a significant contribution to the continued progress of Manchester United Women.

“The club places on record its sincere thanks for his professionalism, commitment and dedication throughout his time at United, and wishes him every success in the future.”

The gratitude is grounded in hard numbers. United finished runners-up in the WSL in 2022-23, pushing for the title and, crucially, securing Champions League football for the first time in their history. That leap into Europe marked a new chapter and underlined the scale of the progress made.

They backed it up in 2025-26 by reaching the Champions League quarter-finals, where Bayern Munich eventually halted their run. The campaign confirmed United’s ability to live with the continent’s elite, at least on their day.

The domestic picture last season told a harsher story. United slipped to fourth in the WSL, missing out on a return to the Champions League. They finished nine points adrift of third-placed Chelsea and 15 behind champions Manchester City, a gap that underlined how far the bar has been raised at the top of the division.

Those margins matter. In a league where the powerhouses show little sign of slowing, a step back can quickly feel like a slide.

Now United stand at another crossroads. The FA Cup sits in the trophy cabinet, memories of that first major title still fresh, but the coach who delivered it has gone. The squad returns to work with a new season looming, a new direction to be set, and a clear question hanging over Carrington: who takes the next step in turning United from emerging force into serial winners?