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welcome...

it’s matchday!

WHAT’S INSIDE YOUR OFFICIAL PROGRAMME... 04 THE HEAD COACH 06 THE MATCH

08 THE NUMBERS GAME 11

THE NEWS

THE BIG INTERVIEW

THE BIGGER PICTURE

THE RED ARMY

22 THE OPPOSITION 25 THE FOUNDATION

26 THE KIDS’ DUGOUT

29 THE STATISTICS 34 THE QUIZ MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB

MATCH PROGRAMME TEAM Editor Charlie Ghagan Contributors Mikey Partington, Isaac Stacey Stronge, Sean Mullan, Jamie Spencer, Matt Brown Design Tom Chase, Megan Vickers Photography Poppy Townson, Ash Donelon, Zohaib Alam, Getty, Alamy Thanks to Ellie Decrop, Paul Davies, George McCaffery, John Shiel, Mark Froggatt, Gareth Boyes Printed by MuPrint.com © Manchester United 2026

MANCHESTER UNITED WOMEN HONOURS BOARD

WOMEN’S FA CUP

WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP

U21 S PGA CUP

2024

2019

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Co-chairmen Joel Glazer, Avram Glazer Directors Bryan Glazer, Kevin Glazer, Edward Glazer, Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Michael Edelson, Sir Alex Ferguson, David Gill CBE, Omar Berrada, John Reece, Robert Nevin Secretary Rebecca Britain Honorary president Martin Edwards

2022

03 contents.indd 1

20/09/2026 21:00

THE

head coach EVA OLID

AS THE BOSS WELCOMES SHEFFIELD UNITED TO LEIGH IN THE SUBWAY PLAYERS CUP, SHE OUTLINES HER TEAM’S DETERMINATION TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD...

elcome back to the Progress With Unity Stadium as we begin our journey in a new competition, the Subway Players Cup. Due to print deadlines, I’m having to write these notes ahead of Saturday’s league fixture away to Arsenal. But for this Players Cup game against Sheffield United, we are determined to give you, our fantastic supporters, an exciting evening at our home stadium. We are all working hard to build a clear attacking identity. The fixtures we have faced so far have been challenging but we make no excuses and will continue to develop the

right habits which will help us to become more consistent in our performances. Losing matches is not what anyone wants, but we must continue to follow the right processes, which will help us to have success in the future. Tonight, as we welcome Stephen Healy and his Sheffield United side, that commitment remains unchanged. We are looking forward to competing in the new-look Players Cup. Three points tonight would represent the ideal start in the competition. We hope you enjoy the game.

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The fixtures we have faced so far have been challenging but we make no excuses and will continue to develop the right habits which will help us to become more consistent

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THE

Match

A FOUR-POINT PREVIEW OF TONIGHT’S CUP CLASH...

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Words Mikey Partington

NEW COMPETITION BEGINS FOR REDS On the back of a battling display at the Emirates in the WSL at the weekend, tonight’s match is our first in the new Subway Players Cup, a tournament that has taken over from the League Cup since we reached the final for the first time last season. Barring Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, who are participating in the Champions League and will therefore be excluded from the competition, every other club from the WSL and WSL2 are involved in this European-style league phase. The aim: to finish inside the top-eight positions of the 23-team table. Every side will play six games in this initial phase, and Sheffield United’s visit will be our first chance to put points on the board, before further clashes with Durham, Liverpool, Burnley, Everton and Newcastle. As was the case in the League Cup, it remains three points for a win inside 90 minutes. If the scores are level at full-time, it will be a point each, with an extra one available for the winners of a subsequent penalty shoot-out.

We’re back home after a big performance in blue at the Emirates on Saturday

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It’s been close to four years since we last faced tonight’s visitors

REUNITED WITH THE BLADES This will be only our fourth meeting with Sheffield United, and first since the 2022/23 campaign. We’ll forgive you if you can’t quite recall all the details from the previous encounter, a 4-0 win for the Reds on a bitterly cold December evening here in Leigh, as it proved not quite enough for us to reach the knockout stage of the League Cup. It did, however, maintain United’s 100 per cent record against the Blades, after we overcame the South Yorkshire outfit home and away en route to winning the Championship in 2018/19 (flick to the centre spread to recall our one and only game in Sheffield). The Reds are aiming to continue that winning run this evening against a side competing in the second tier again this term. Turn to page 22 for more on the visitors.

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THE match

Griffiths made her WSL bow at the weekend – could she be set for a Players Cup runout?

YOUNG REDS COULD IMPRESS When WSL Football – the independent company that runs the top two tiers of women’s professional football in England – announced the changes to its cup competition over the summer, one of the key reasons cited was to increase playing opportunities for players not involved in European competition. Hot on the heels of Saturday’s trip to Arsenal and ahead of our return to WSL action here on Sunday, this evening’s fixture may present Eva Olid with the chance to keep things fresh and give minutes to members of her squad who maybe haven’t featured as often in our first three matches of the campaign. That could include opportunities for several talented young Reds, including Mared Griffiths (who came off the bench against Arsenal) as well as Jess Simpson, Jess Anderson and Scarlett Hill, who have also been part of our matchday squads after signing their first professional contracts over the summer. Layla Drury – who penned her own first pro deal in the off-season – and Lucy Newell have been away with England at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, but will be keen to make an impact too, now the Young Lionesses are out of the competition. So far 19 Academy players have stepped up to represent our first team, including all the names above except Newell and Hill. Will we see a 20th Academy graduate tonight?

THE START OF A HOME RUN Olid’s Reds will be looking to establish some momentum in this tournament tonight, during the first of four games we’ve got coming up – across all competitions – before the season’s first international break. Three of those matches are due to be played here in Leigh, with the one outlier being next Wednesday’s trip to Durham for our second Players Cup fixture. West Ham are the visitors as United’s WSL campaign continues on Sunday, and Liverpool are due to make the short hop across from Merseyside too, before the October hiatus. The Reds were beaten as Chelsea came to town earlier this month, but our form on home soil has provided a foundation for success over recent seasons and is something that could be significant as we look to build on our draw away to Arsenal on Saturday.

The United players will see plenty of this pitch over the next week-and-a-half

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THE

NUMBERS GAME SOME KEY FIGURES TO PONDER AHEAD OF KICK-OFF...

11-0

AGGREGATE SCORE FROM OUR PREVIOUS MEETINGS WITH SHEFFIELD UNITED The Reds winning 3-0 and 4-0 in 2018/19, then 4-0 in 2022/23

55 REBECCA BERNAL IS THE FIRST MEXICAN TO PLAY IN THE WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE

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Her substitute appearance against Chelsea saw Mexico become the 55th nation to be represented in the competition

10 THE BLADES’ NO.10 CHARLIE DEVLIN IS ONE OF A NUMBER OF PLAYERS TO HAVE PLAYED FOR BOTH US AND SHEFFIELD UNITED Fran Bentley, Tara Bourne, Mollie Green, Naomi Hartley, Aimee Palmer and Emily Ramsey are also on the list.

3 SATURDAY SAW US DRAW AGAINST ARSENAL IN THE WSL FOR THE THIRD TIME IN A ROW Last term saw a pair of 0-0 stalemates, (alongside our 1-0 away win in the League Cup semi-finals)

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07.09.26 22:47 16:36 08/09/2026

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s n a ps h ot

We’ve had a few nice moments to celebrate at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium over the past four seasons, beginning with that famous 3-2 win on our first visit in November 2022, but a goal at the Gunners’ home is even sweeter when it’s scored in front of a packed away end (complete with the customary knee-slide to the corner flag, of course). It was Julia Zigiotti who played such a starring role for the Reds on Saturday, capitalising on a loose pass from Georgia Stanway to give Eva Olid’s side the lead after 67 minutes, with Ziggy’s team-mates soon joining her right in front of the joyous travelling Reds (pictured). Smilla Holmberg’s stoppage-time equaliser was a sting in the tail but it should take nothing away from an encouraging display – one that will hopefully ignite our WSL campaign, which resumes this Sunday here in Leigh when we take on West Ham United at 1pm.

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Ziggy Stardust!

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21/09/2026 07:50

Big interview SIMI AWUJO

THE

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Interview Mikey Partington

PATIENCE, PERSPECTIVE AND PLENTY OF FOOTBALL TO COME: BIRTHDAY GIRL SIMI AWUJO DISCUSSES ADAPTING TO CHANGE AT UNITED AND WHY SHE’S EXCITED FOR THE CHALLENGES AHEAD...

FACTFILE FULL NAME Simisola Feyishayo Awujo DATE OF BIRTH 23 September 2003 PLACE OF BIRTH Atlanta, Georgia, USA POSITION Midfielder YOUTH CAREER AFC Lightning, NASA Tophat, Southern Soccer Academy COLLEGE CAREER 2021-23, USC Trojans, 49 apps, 4 goals SENIOR CAREER 2023 FC Premier Women, 4 apps, 1 goal 2024- Manchester United, 45 apps, 3 goals INTERNATIONAL CAREER 2022- Canada, 35 caps, 1 goal

Pre-season preparations on the training ground

You mention the injury that kept you out of pre-season – it’s good you were able to get back for the start of the season and score in that opening game at London City. Obviously, the goal didn’t change the result, but what sort of impact do you think such a moment, so early in the season, can have on your campaign moving forward? Like you said, the goal – as good as it did feel to score – it didn’t really mean much in the grand scheme of things, but on a personal level, I was happy to have scored. To have come back from injury, I just wanted to come on and contribute as much as I could to the team, and just kind of look forward to the contributions that I can make going forward in this season. I feel like that’s kind of given me a lot of confidence and good faith starting this season. Maya Le Tissier highlighted your impact after that game as an epitome of this team never giving up. How did it feel to hear your captain say that? It’s always nice to hear an uplifting comment from a respected player, team-mate and your captain. In training, she’s always giving me words of confidence, and she spoke to me after the game as well, so it is nice to hear that. I think what she said stands: those sorts of moments, it does highlight what we are and who we are as a group of people. Before we talk a little bit more about the Players Cup, you’re at the start of your third season here at United. What would you say your mindset is going into it, after your first two years here?

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Simi, it’s been a challenging start to the season, but we’re at the start of a new era and there’s obviously a period of adaptation to be had there. What have you learned over the last couple of weeks that you think will help us moving forward? I think the last couple of games have been tough but, like you said, with change it’s going to take time for things to fully click and to fully be successful. Obviously as high performing athletes, as professionals, we want to do the best we can and we want to be successful in every game immediately. For me, one thing I’ve had to learn personally is patience, after coming into pre-season and immediately getting an injury. Then navigating how I was going to adjust under a new coach. So, I think patience has been something that I’ve tried to have a lot of because it is a learning curve.

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THE Big Interview For me personally, in the simplest of terms, I want to enjoy what I do. I just want to go out there and have fun. Enjoy playing football with the team and just take a little bit of the pressure off. I just want to boil it right back down to the basics, which is a game of football and a lot of fun. We’ve had new signings arrive here this summer, including Andrea Medina, who was telling us recently that you were helping her settle because you speak Spanish. How much can you speak and how important is that for you to help new additions to the squad settle? Yeah, Medi’s quite out there! I think it seemed quite easy for her to just mesh with everyone because she’s just a good personality. Lots of fun. But yeah, I do speak Spanish. I would say I’m proficient, I wouldn’t say fully fluent just because I’ve never lived there or anything. But I can have conversations with Medi and Rebe [Rebeca Bernal] as well now, in Spanish. I just learned in school, just growing up through school and it was something that I found interesting. So, it was something that I took maybe a bit more seriously than just trying to pass a language course. That’s kind of how I taught myself, through school and then through TV shows and stuff like that. That’s about the extent of my knowledge!

Nice. Back on the pitch, we’ve seen you play a couple of different midfield roles here at United, such is your versatile skillset. Where do you think you can make the most impact this season? I’d say more in the ‘eight’ role. We’ve done a bit of rotating as a midfield, but I think in that role where I can be on both sides of the ball, I think that’s where I can have the most impact because I do enjoy defending and I do find a lot of confidence from that. But at the same time, I think I have a lot to bring in the attacking part of the game. We’ve got plenty of games ahead, including in the new-look Players Cup. What do you make of the changes to the competition and what opportunities do they present for us as a team? I think more games is a chance for us to have more opportunities to mesh as a group, to learn and to apply principles that we’re learning and that we’re doing in training and take them into games. I think it’ll provide good opportunities and good fun. More football is always good fun!

There was plenty of team bonding on the pre-season trip to La Manga

On target against London City

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Simi was a runner-up in last season’s League Cup final

How many other languages have you got? On top of English, just that one right now and a bit of my parents’ language, which is Yoruba [a major West African language spoken by roughly 50 million people].

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THE Big Interview

Awujo is positive about what lies ahead, for both club and country

I have played on my birthday before, yes... three points for this one would be a nice gift!

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We got to the final of the League Cup last season and the final of the FA Cup in all three years prior. Does that instil a hunger in this squad now to get back to those big stages and win more silverware? As professionals, that’s always the goal, to win as much as you can – I don’t think any of that has changed. Obviously, we’re not in Champions League this year, the FA Cup hasn’t started so I guess in terms of winning silverware the Players Cup is our focus as well as the league right now. Then obviously when the FA Cup comes around the same will apply for that. We’re always striving to win the most games and win as much silverware as possible. Sheffield United provide our first opponents on the quest for the Players Cup and it’ll be played on your birthday too, so early wishes to you! Have you played on your birthday before and how nice would it be this year to get those three points to start the campaign? I have played on my birthday before, yes. I think it’ll be nice. Hopefully we’ll come away with three points as well for this one. That would be a nice gift! I always enjoy a night game, so that’ll be a fun one to start off the [Players Cup] campaign.

Just finally, it’s a big season for us at United but a big year on the international stage too, with a World Cup coming up in the summer. How much is that in your thinking, knowing that playing well here could mean you help Canada qualify and potentially end your season at the tournament? Yeah, that’s always the goal from an international point of view, trying to put my best foot forward here to put myself in a position to go to camp and, especially with the World Cup coming up, it’s definitely on my mind. We have a good friendly window this upcoming international break, which I think will be good for our squad to prepare for our qualifying rounds later in the year. Hopefully we’re successful at those and then, in the summer, we’ll be able to participate in the tournament. I’d be super excited to go to the World Cup again. It’s in Brazil too, which we know you visited a few months ago with Canada… Yeah, it being in Brazil, football in that country is huge! So, I think there’s going to be a lot of traction with that and a lot of fans that are going to come out and support their nations. I think it’ll be a really cool tournament and one of the ones to watch for sure.

•

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08/09/2026 22:46

THE

BIGger PICTURE 20.02.19

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20/09/2026 21:42

THE BIG PICTURE

While tonight’s fixture signals a fourth meeting with Sheffield United, only once have we faced the Blades away from Leigh. Olympic Legacy Park was the setting for this midweek second-tier encounter in February 2019, played in front of a crowd of 1,008, with a healthy contingent making the trip to Sheffield to support Casey Stoney’s Reds. Carla Ward was in charge of the hosts, and an injury crisis meant the future Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland boss was forced to call upon several youngsters, further increasing the challenge they faced against a relentless United side that had collected 34 points from a possible 39 up to that point in the season. Sure enough, the Reds, playing in all-navy blue, put in a dominant display under the floodlights. Katie Zelem opened the scoring inside a minute, before Lauren James doubled our lead just before the half-hour mark. An Ella Toone penalty and Mollie Green header then completed a convincing 4-0 win. “A professional performance,” was Stoney’s concise post-match summary, while she was keen to praise the away support, saying: “I genuinely think we’ve got the best fans in the world.” More than seven years on, we’ll hedge our bets and predict that a few of those pictured here will be with us in Leigh tonight...

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ONE NIGHT IN SHEFFIELD

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participants supported

community projects

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IN THE

STANDs ← Hello to and Harry and Izzy! They are both excited to be season ticket holders.

↓ Wishing Flora a happy 13th birthday. Her favourite player is Maya.

↑ Happy birthday to Esme! Have the best day – love Mummy, Daddy, and your sisters.

← “It was lovely to meet Rebeca at the Chelsea game,” says Ellie.

← Here is Caoimhe, aged 7, meeting Phallon last season.

↑ A warm welcome to these two South Yorkshire Reds, Paisley and Isabella.

↓ Wishing Dawn a happy birthday – from Wendy, Bri, Joe, Martyn and the gang!

Your Text Messages

· ·

Happy belated birthday to Will Simpson, who is here with his family tonight, all the way from Northampton. Have a fantastic time. Kiera would like to say hello to brother James, who is at the game.

SEND YOUR PHOTOS & MESSAGES TO: MUWOMENFAMILY@MANUTD.CO.UK

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← Big Ella Toone fan Isabella will be 14 on 14 October – enjoy the game!

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20/09/2026 20:59

THE opposition

SHEFFIELD UNITED

Words Jamie Spencer

Amy Andrews and Tilly Bristow show their disappointment following the narrow loss to Leicester to begin the new campaign

Sheffield United ended 2025/26 with four straight WSL2 defeats that left them finishing uncomfortably close to relegation to the National League, and unfortunately for tonight’s visitors ’26/27 has begun in similar fashion. The new season opened with a visit from Leicester, who were the better team in front of just over 1,000 fans at Bramall Lane, Sheffield United’s permanent home since 2022. Blades’ goalkeeper Sian Rogers was kept busy throughout, pulling off seven saves, but she couldn’t prevent a narrow 1-0 defeat. A 3-1 defeat at Wolves in their next game was a result that hinged on missed opportunities, with their opponents being more ruthless inside the box. “We’re looking for an extra pass when it should be a shot,” was the post-match assessment of Blades’ head coach Stephen Healy (right), who joined the club from MK Dons nine months ago. Shots did come their way during

Sunday’s trip to high-flying Newcastle. There were 10 in total, five of which were on target, but Lucy Quinn’s strike was the Blades’ only reward in a 4-1 defeat that left them bottom of WSL2. Nevertheless, it remains a work in progress for Healy after a summer that saw eight signings and seven departures. Former Arsenal youth player Gracie Pearse has strengthened the midfield, while Republic of Ireland international Quinn adds valuable WSL and WSL2 experience in attack. As noted on page 8, there are plenty of Reds connections within the Blades squad. Alongside Charlie Devlin – one of our 2018/19 ‘Originals’ – in midfield is Ella Kinzett, a member of Sheffield United’s leadership group who graduated from the Reds’ Academy before moving across the Pennines in 2023. Forward Alyssa Aherne made the same move in 2024, initially on loan, but has not played since suffering an ACL injury last December.

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THE opposition

young Talent

recent LINE-UP

newcastle united (AWAY, WSL2), 20.09.26

ROGERS

COWAN

REAVILL

PEARSE

KINZETT

HOUSSEIN

HARWOOD

DEVLIN

O’ROURKE

ANDREWS

Much like Rouse, Jess Reavill was handed a new two-year contract coming into this season, in a significant show of commitment to the young centre-back. “She will be a big part of what we want to build for the long-term,” Healy predicted when the deal was signed. Still only 20, Reavill started out in Sheffield United’s youth ranks, before spells at Leicester, West Brom and Stoke, and then returning to the Steel City last summer. She has faced United once before, starting a WSL encounter for Leicester at the age of just 17 in March 2023. Reavill is a vocal presence in the heart of the defence

QUINN

Substitutes used BRISTOW, BAKER, ROUSE, SCOFIELD, JONES

captain and head coach

About THE opponents... Formed: 2002 (as Sheffield United Community Girls and Ladies) Nickname: The Blades Best achievement: Women’s Championship runner-up 2019/20 Last season: WSL2 11th place; FA Cup fifth round; League Cup group stage; top scorer (all comps): Amy Andrews (10); Record v United: P3 W0 D0 L3 F0 A11

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Mollie Rouse had been a Sheffield United player for just a year when she was named captain at the start of this month, fresh from signing a new contract until the end of next season. The 27-year-old midfielder, a former US college player and competitor on 2021 football reality series Ultimate Goal, stood out to Healy as a natural leader thanks to her having “a really good balance of experience and ambition”. After Rouse pledged her future to the club, Healy now hopes she will have “even greater influence on the culture and standards” he wants to build. As for Healy, it was January when the head coach made the switch from the same role with fourth-tier MK Dons, where he spent seven months. Prior to that, he was first-team coach for West Ham. Healy has Midfielder Rouse also worked for the wears the armband FA, as well as the New York Red Bulls.

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09/09/2026 07:17

THE

FOUNDATION

IT’S GAME ON, GIRLS! Words Matthew Brown

NEW-LOOK COMMUNITY FOOTBALL SESSIONS ARE SET TO ROLL OUT ACROSS GREATER MANCHESTER United’s Foundation is proud to deliver a wide range of girls’ development programmes to create opportunities for girls to participate, develop skills, build confidence and reach their potential – and this season, that’s only set to expand further. Girls-only community football sessions are held at more than 20 locations across Greater Manchester, as part of the Foundation’s Street Reds programme – powered by Premier

League Kicks – enabling girls to develop and become more active, fostering a lifelong love of the game. This season, these girls-only sessions will be supported by National Lottery funding as part of a grant recently awarded by Sport England, which will also allow a new girls-only site to be set up in Radcliffe. Launched earlier this month, sessions take place from 4.30pm-6pm every Wednesday at Radcliffe FC’s Neuven Stadium, for girls aged

8-18. Becky Topping, the Foundation’s female community coordinator, said: “We’re delighted to be setting up this new session with the support of Sport England and National Lottery Funding. The site in Radcliffe becomes our first girls-specific site of all our Street Reds locations, and we’re looking forward to working in a new area of Greater Manchester to engage local girls through exciting playing and development opportunities in football.” These sessions are complemented by a wide range of other projects operating across primary and secondary schools and further education settings. This season, the Foundation has also devised the Game On programme, designed to help girls develop their confidence and leadership skills, stay active and create positive change within their community. Supporting girls aged 12-15 in six of our partner high schools, this will provide them with the opportunity to gain qualifications, including the Premier League Changemakers programme. Last season, there were more than 400 aggregate attendances over the course of 35 delivery hours, engaging 50 participants. Street Reds sessions are free to attend. For more details scan here.

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Keeping active and building confidence is at the heart of the Foundation’s work

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21/09/2026 08:03

PUZZ LES AND LAUG HS WITH FRED THE RED…

NEW RECRUITS

MATCH OUR SUMMER SIGNINGS TO THE CLUBS THEY JOINED US FROM… C: 23% M: 100% Y: 100% K: 19%

REBECA BERNAL

C: 20% M: 93% Y: 85.5% K: 10%

MONICA JUSU BAH C: 25% M: 83% Y: 70% K: 13.5%

JANINA LEITZIG

ANDREA MEDINA

C: 0% M: 100% Y: 100% K: 5% C: 0% M: 86.5% Y: 74% K: 0% C: 0% M: 66% Y: 42% K: 0%

GUESS THE GAMES

Maya Le Tissier

PUT THESE REDS IN ORDER OF MOST (1) TO FEWEST (5) APPEARANCES IN THE LEAGUE CUP...

Ella Toone

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Hanna Lundkvist Hinata Miyazawa Phallon Tullis-Joyce 20/09/2026 20:57

FIND OUR FOES!

CAN YOU LOCATE THE SEVEN SIDES WE’VE FACED MOST OFTEN IN THIS COMPETITION SO FAR?

FOES TO FIND:

ARSENAL CHELSEA

DURHAM EVERTON LEICESTER

LIVERPOOL MAN CITY

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Z S V V N M J U N N N S I U H Z G M J C V A I G O B I L U J MA N C I T Y H T D U P Q P M I R Y A N I B R R A A F H R C O S Y E J O E C E U I Z S X U Y E Q G U V H X H H D Z J X X P N I Z E R C D P E L G A Q L H A Q E G F N C O P L G P D K K L X O F B M L T E M S Z P K P V W M W M N J T L Z V E Q G Z J L I V E R P O O L D J A T B H W Z B C K S E Y T P A W K N R E T S E C I E L A L X Y E J E M C L N R Q P O W K P J V Q T O W L E L C N U B K J V V

ANSWERS - New recruits: Bernal/Washington Spirit; Jusu Bah/BK Hacken; Leitzig/Leicester City; Medina/ Atletico Madrid Guess the games: 1. Ella Toone (27); 2. Maya Le Tissier (15); 3. Phallon Tullis-Joyce (10); 4. Hinata Miyazawa (8); 5. Hanna Lundkvist (2).

THE Kids’ dugout

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08/09/2026 22:46

THE

STATISTICS

TABLES AND FIXTURES, PLUS THE LATEST PLAYER STATS WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE TABLE, 2025/26 Team

Pts

Man City

Spurs

Chelsea

London City

Everton

Arsenal

Liverpool

Crystal Palace

-6

West Ham

-2

10 Brighton

-1

11 Aston Villa

-3

12 Birmingham

-4

13 UNITED

-6

14 Charlton

-8

OTHER LEAGUE-PHASE FIXTURES TONIGHT Crystal Palace v Watford (7pm) Everton v Birmingham (7pm) Liverpool v Sunderland (7pm) Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa (7pm) Tottenham v West Ham (7pm) Leicester v London City Lionesses (7.30pm) Brighton v Charlton (7.45pm)

NEXT WEDNESDAY (30 SEP)

WSL PLAYERS CUP LEAGUE PHASE, 2025/26 1

Team

PW/L

Pts

Aston Villa

Birmingham

Brighton

Bristol City

Burnley

Charlton

Crystal Palace 0 Durham 0

Everton

10 Ipswich

11 Leicester

12 Liverpool

13 London City

14 UNITED

15 Newcastle

16 Nott’m Forest 0 17 Sheff United 0

18 Southampton 0 19 Sunderland 0

20 Tottenham

21 Watford

22 West Ham

23 Wolves

League phase games split into Northern and Southern groups, with all teams ranked in a combined league table. Each team plays six games within their region – three home and three away. Teams will be ranked by points (3 points for a win, 0 points for a loss). If a match is level after 90 minutes, it will be decided by a penalty shoot-out – the shoot-out winner receives two points, while the other team receives one point (PW/L above references penalty shoot-outs won/lost). The top eight teams in the combined league table advance to the knockout phase.

Birmingham v Liverpool (7pm) Crystal Palace v Charlton (7pm) Durham v Manchester United (7pm) West Ham v Southampton (7pm) Aston Villa v Newcastle (7.30pm) Ipswich v London City Lionesses (7.30pm) Brighton v Tottenham (7.45pm) Below: Durham are next up for the Reds in the Players Cup, with the teams meeting at South Shields FC next Wednesday evening

MUW 26/27

429 3 29 wsl stats.indd 1

20/09/2026 20:50

WH EN TH EI R WEDDI G LI WH ENNTH EIST R WEDDI N G LI ST I S DOU B LE-SI DED... I S DOU B LE-SI DED...

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Barclays offers banking and credit products to its clients through Barclays Bank UK PLC. Barclays Bank UK PLC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Registered in England. Registered No. 9740322. GCS-BWSL programme ads_A5.indd 1 25/08/2026 18:23 RegisteredWF3118203 Office: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP. AD wedding.indd 1

09/09/2026 07:19

APPEARANCES + GOALS THE PLAYER STATS

A NUMERICAL LOOK AT THE SQUAD, PLUS THE INDIVIDUAL RECORDS...

UNITED APPEARANCES & GOALS, 2026/27 PLAYER LEAGUE APP GLS

FA CUP APP GLS

LEAGUE CUP APP GLS

APP

Simi Awujo

TOTAL GLS

1(2)

Rebeca Bernal 0(2)

0(2)

Mared Griffiths 0(1)

0(1)

Dominique Janssen

Monica Jusu Bah 1(1)

1(1)

Maya Le Tissier

Hanna Lundkvist

2(1)

Andrea Medina 3

Hinata Miyazawa

Jess Park

Jayde Riviere

Anna Sandberg

2(1)

Lea Schuller

0(3)

Elisabeth Terland

Ella Toone

Phallon Tullis-Joyce

Julia Zigiotti

ALL-TIME RECORDS: GAMES

UNITED CAREER APPEARANCES & GOALS

Apps

LEAGUE APP GLS

FA CUP APP GLS

LEAGUE CUP APP GLS

UWCL APP GLS

TOTAL APP GLS

Ella Toone

215

Millie Turner

189

Jessica Anderson

0(1)

0(2)

Leah Galton

172

Simi Awujo

7(19)

1(2)

4(3)

4(5)

16(29)

Katie Zelem

161

Rebeca Bernal

0(2)

Maya Le Tissier

139

Celin Bizet Donnum

20(7)

3(1)

1(2)

2(1)

26(11)

Mary Earps

125

Layla Drury

0(5)

0(2)

0(7)

Hayley Ladd

110

Mared Griffiths

0(1)

0(2)

Hannah Blundell

Dominique Janssen

37(5)

4(2)

4(3)

10(1)

55(11)

Melvine Malard

Monica Jusu Bah

1(1)

Kirsty Hanson

Maya Le Tissier

13(2)

137(2)

Rachel Williams

Hanna Lundkvist

7(7)

1(1)

13(8)

Andrea Medina

Safia Middl’n-Patel

Hinata Miyazawa

42(12)

6(2)

7(1)

14(2)

69(17)

Jess Park

22(3)

9(2)

36(5)

Goals

Jayde Riviere

48(6)

5(1)

13(1)

71(8)

Ella Toone

Fridolina Rolfo

11(8)

1(1)

7(2)

19(11)

Leah Galton

Anna Sandberg

19(15)

1(5)

36(20)

Katie Zelem

Lea Schuller

6(8)

1(1)

0(2)

2(1)

9(12)

Lauren James

Jess Simpson

0(1)

Elisabeth Terland

34(7)

4(2)

3(3)

8(1)

49(13)

Alessia Russo

Ella Toone

138(17) 48

17(4)

10(17)

9(3)

174(41) 64

Jessica Sigsworth

PLAYER

ALL-TIME RECORDS: GOALS

Phallon Tullis-Joyce

Nikita Parris

Emma Watson

0(1)

2(1)

Melvine Malard

Ellen Wangerheim

3(5)

1(1)

7(7)

Rachel Williams

Julia Zigiotti

20(3)

11(3)

36(6)

Lucia Garcia

MUW 26/27

Eight players have started all three of our 2026/27 fixtures so far, including Elisabeth Terland, who made her 49th start for the Reds in Saturday’s draw at Arsenal. It means Teri’s next appearance in the XI will bring up a half-century of starts. Three of those have come in the League Cup, alongside three substitute outings, with our no.10 scoring twice in the competition for United.

4313 31 app stats (up to Chels).indd 1

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Match-by-match statistics

FIXTURES + RESULTS COMP

DATE

OPPOSITION

WSL WSL PC WSL PC WSL

Sat 3 Sun 18 Wed 21 Sun 25 Wed 28 Sat 31

Liverpool (H) 1.30pm Charlton (A) 2pm Liverpool (A) 7pm Man City (H) 6pm Burnley (H) 7pm Everton (A) 12.45pm

WSL WSL PC WSL

Sat 7 Sun 15 Wed 18 Sun 22

Aston Villa (A) 12.30pm Crystal Palace (H) 1pm Everton (H) 7pm Birmingham (A) 2pm

WSL PC WSL

Sun 13 Wed 16 Sat 20

Brighton (H) 1pm Newcastle (A) 7pm Spurs (H) 1pm

WSL FA WSL WSL WSL

Sun 10 16-17 Wed 20 Sun 24 Sun 31

Crystal Palace (A) 2pm Fourth round West Ham (A) 7pm Everton (H) 1pm London City (H) 1pm

WSL WSL FA

Sun 7 Sun 14 20-21

Spurs (A) 2pm Man City (A) 2.30pm Fifth round

WSL WSL FA WSL

Sun 14 Wed 17 20-21 Sun 28

Charlton (H) 1pm Liverpool (A) 7pm Quarter-finals Aston Villa (H) 1pm

WSL FA

Sun 4 10-11

Chelsea (A) 2pm Semi-finals

WSL WSL FA WSL

Sun 2 Sun 9 Sat 15 22/23

Birmingham (H) 1pm Arsenal (H) 1pm Final Brighton (A) TBC

SCORE

ATT

LINE-UP

SEP WSL Fri 4 London City (A) 7pm 1-2 5,402 Tullis-Joyce Riviere Le Tissier Janssen Medina Miyazawa Zigiotti WSL Sun 13 Chelsea (H) 12pm 0-5 4,327 Tullis-Joyce Lundkvist Le Tissier Janssen Medina Miyazawa Zigiotti WSL Sat 19 Arsenal (A) 5.30pm 1-1 29,853 Tullis-Joyce Lundkvist Le Tissier Janssen Sandberg Miyazawa Zigiotti 1 PC Wed 23 Sheffield United (H) 7pm WSL Sun 27 West Ham (H) 1pm PC Wed 30 Durham (A) 7pm

OCT

NOV

DEC

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR M AY

KEY: WSL – Women’s Super League 32

32-33 season stats v2.indd 1

PC – Subway Players Cup FA – Women’s FA Cup Scorers Bold + own goal Yellow/red card Subs used: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th • Penalty ↑/↓ won/lost on penalties United score listed first and kick-off is UK time. All fixtures subject to change – TV picks confirmed until 1 November.

20/09/2026 20:38

FOLLOW UNITED!

Facebook: manutdwomen

X: @manutdwomen

Match programme contact: MUWomenfamily@manutd.co.uk

YouTube: /ManUtd

Instagram: @manutdwomen

For ticket information visit: ManUtd.com/Tickets

SUBS USED

Park Toone Sandberg Park Toone Jusu Bah Park Awujo Medina

Terland Terland Terland

Jusu Bah Sandberg Bernal

REFEREE Awujo 1 Awujo Schuller

Schuller Bernal Griffiths

Lundkvist Schuller –

– – –

Emily Heaslip Grace Lowe Abigail Byrne

MUW 26/27

VISIT: MANUTD.COM/FIXTURES FOR THE LATEST FIXTURES INFORMATION

32-33 season stats v2.indd 2

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THE

QUIZ

CAN YOU SCORE FULL MARKS IN OUR TEST?

TONIGHT’S POSERS ARE ALL ABOUT OUR FIRST-EVER STARTING XI, WHO -- AS WE’RE SURE YOU REMEMBER! -- BEAT LIVERPOOL IN THE LEAGUE CUP IN 2018...

Siobhan Chamberlain’s final Reds appearance came in a victory over Crystal Palace that clinched the Championship title – what was the final score?

Kirsty Smith was one of how many Scottish players in our 21-player ‘Originals’ squad of 2018/19?

Amy James-Turner scored the Reds’ final goal of 2018/19 during a 5-0 home win over which club?

From which team did forward Lizzie Arnot join the Reds: Hearts or Hibernian?

Jess Sigsworth was United’s top scorer with 18 goals in 2018/19 – who was second, with 17?

What number did Millie Turner wear during her time with United?

Alex Greenwood left the Reds to join which French side?

Mollie Green was among how many Reds to win one of the eight Championship Player of the Month awards in 2018/19?

Which WSL side does Kirsty Hanson now play for?

34 The quiz.indd 1

In which of these competitions did Lauren James NOT score United’s first-ever goal: WSL, Championship, FA Cup, League Cup?

Answers: 1. 7-0 to United; 2. Three; 3. Lewes; 4. 21; 5. Lyon (OL Lyonnes); 6. Four; 7. Score direct from a corner; 8. League Cup; 9. Hibernian; 10. Lauren James; 11. Tottenham Hotspur

MUW 26/27

What notable achievement did Katie Zelem famously manage twice in a WSL win over Leicester in March 2022?

20/09/2026 20:36

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2026 27

MANCHESTER UNITED WOMEN Anna Sandberg 2 Maya Le Tissier 4 Hanna Lundkvist 5 Andrea Medina 6 Ella Toone 7 Jess Park 8 Elisabeth Terland 10 Celin Bizet Donnum 11 Fridolina Rolfo 12 Simi Awujo 13 Jayde Riviere 14 Julia Zigiotti 15 Rebeca Bernal 16 Dominique Janssen 17 Ellen Wangerheim 19 Hinata Miyazawa 20 Emma Watson 21 Scarlett Hill 22 Monica Jusu Bah 23 Lea Schuller 24 Janina Leitzig (GK) 25 Jess Simpson 26 Layla Drury 27 Mared Griffiths 36 Jessica Anderson 47

SHEFFIELD UNITED WOMEN 1 Sian Rogers (GK) 2 Leanne Cowan 3 Chloe Warrington 4 Ella Kinzett 5 Molly Graham 6 Gracie Pearse 7 Amy Andrews 9 Joy Ralph 10 Charlie Devlin 11 Ava Baker 12 Maria Reynolds 13 Poppy Soper (GK) 14 Halle Houssein 15 Lucy Quinn 17 Tilly Bristow 19 Grace Foy 20 Sophie O’Rourke 21 Lauren Thomas 22 Sophie Harwood 23 Connie Scofield 25 Mollie Rouse 28 Eva Butler 29 Abbie Jones 41 Jess Reavill

Lucy Newell 55 Phallon Tullis-Joyce (GK) 91 Referee Megan Wilson Assistants Luke Bowles, Harley Hetherington Fourth official Jodie Hunter

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