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Manchester United Women are preparing to face Leicester City in the Women’s Super League this Saturday lunchtime.The Red Devils will be buoyed by their 3-1 win over fierce rivals Liverpool last week...

Marc Skinner: Man United coach reveals when Ella Toone will return

Manchester United Women are preparing to face Leicester City in the Women’s Super League this Saturday lunchtime.

The Red Devils will be buoyed by their 3-1 win over fierce rivals Liverpool last weekend.

Speaking to the media ahead of the match, manager Marc Skinner discussed the fitness of his squad.

Ella Toone blow

United have been making do without one of their key stars lately owing to Toone’s injury issues.

Commenting on her progress, he stated, “with Ella, we’ll find out today or tomorrow roughly where we are with an update. She’s going to see a specialist to have another look, but hopefully it’s been healing well. She’s still on track for probably a March return.”

Therefore, he confirmed that she will sadly miss the Champions League ties with Atletico Madrid this month.

Asked whether she is definitely out of the games against the Spanish side, he replied, “yeah, it does look like that. The reality is it’s ongoing and just needs time to heal. She won’t be involved in the first Champions League games. Hopefully, if we qualify through, we can get her involved in the next ones beyond that.”

Skinner also confirmed that Leah Galton is working her way back to full fitness and could make an appearance before the international break.

Munich tragedy

Today is the anniversary of United’s saddest chapter, and Skinner was asked to reflect on what the remembrance of the tragedy means to the wider club.

He stated, “Manchester United is built on ecstasy and tragedy, and Munich was one of the biggest tragedies in football. It shaped who we are. Our foundations are based on that. I feel absorbed in it now, and I look forward to this moment every year to celebrate the impact those people had on our club — and always will.”

Departures

Skinner was then asked to comment on Welsh starlet Mared Griffiths’ loan to Sunderland and Keira Barry’s exit to Bay FC.

Elaborating on Griffiths’ situation, he added, “she’s been training with us since she signed her contract and has been really good. The challenge is the level of competition and limited minutes, especially with four competitions. It’s really important she gets the experience of playing regularly — starting, not starting, coming into games, finding form. I’m really happy for her.”

Challenge of Leicester City

Skinner was then asked to comment on Saturday’s opponents, and he believes the match will be a challenge in spite of Leicester’s struggles at the bottom of the table.

He explained, “I’ve got huge respect for Rick (Passmoor) and the work he’s doing. His teams are difficult to play against but also have attacking quality, especially with a familiar face who’s just gone there — and there’s a lot of love for Rachel Williams too. We’ve got to be ready. I’ve told the players not to look too far ahead. This is our sole focus right now. We’ve been brilliant in the first part of the year, and now it’s about continuing that form.”

Commenting further on Williams, he said, “we hate playing against her because of her quality, but at her stage of her career, going back to her home club, with family around her and securing an extended contract, was the right decision.”

Finally, the head coach claimed that his side must take each game one by one in the tight race for Champions League football that is shaping up between his side, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Summer ambitions

The Red Devils secured three excellent additions in the winter window, but Skinner revealed that this is not the end of his squad rebuilding.

He expressed his delight with the three players coming into the squad but also claimed that, “we’re still working towards summer acquisitions — the window opens again sooner than people think. If we add another three to five players in the summer, we’ll be in a really good place next year.”