Manchester United Women v Leicester City Women match programme, WSL, 07.09.25

INSide

YOUR MATCH PROGRAMME

HEAD COACH’S COLUMN

TALK OF THE TERRACE

SUCCESS IN STOCKHOLM

CAPTAIN’S COLUMN

NEW SEASON PREVIEW

PLAYER PROFILES

FAN MESSAGES

DOMINIQUE JANSSEN INTERVIEW

THE OPPOSITION

MILLIE TURNER’S LUCKY SEVEN

JUNIOR REDS

ADDED-TIME QUIZ

MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB

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, Sir Dave Brailsford Secretary Rebecca Britain

Honorary president Martin Edwards

MATCH PROGRAMME TEAM

Editor Charlie Ghagan Contributors Mikey Partington, Helen Rowe-Willcocks, Sean Mullan, Jamie Spencer, Matt Brown Design Tom Chase

Photography Charlotte Tattersall, Poppy Townson, Ash Donelon, Zohaib Alam, Getty, Alamy

Thanks to Ellie Decrop, Paul Davies, Simon Davies, John Shiel, Ian Nolan, Mark Froggatt, Gareth Boyes

SKINNER Marc

A BIG MONTH LIES AHEAD IN LEAGUE AND CUP, AND AS WE TAKE ON THE FOXES AT LSV, THE BOSS WANTS TO SEE INTENSITY AND PASSION ON AND OFF THE PITCH...

Welcome back to Leigh Sports Village for another season. It already feels like we have been back with you all after your fantastic support in the friendly against Liverpool, and for the games in Stockholm. It has been a busy summer away from United with a number of players competing in the Euros, including our winning Lionesses. But since we’ve come back as one, we have been working hard towards our collective goals, on and off the pitch.

We have faced two tough, competitive games already which will put us in good stead for the start of the WSL season. We show week-in, week-out who we are and what we stand for, and we want to be in unison with the fans this season to reach our aim of making more historymaking moments for this great club.

We are a constantly evolving the team and that has shown during the transfer window. We have used this window to bring in experience to elevate our group of young, extremely talented players. Julia and Frido will bring a new range to our squad with their experience in other leagues and throughout their careers.

Our aim is to always win for the fans. We know it’s not always linear – the WSL is the hardest league in the world but we always give it everything we have.

We try to show our intensity, passion and commitment in every performance and we hope you will bring us the same. You are all a massive part of it and we want it to feel like a fortress here at LSV.

Enjoy the game.

Terrace TAlk ofthe

ALL THE PRE-MATCH CHAT AHEAD OF TODAY’S GAME...

The Reds are finally back on home soil! How long has it been?

Just over four months, remarkably. Sure, we did host Liverpool here at Leigh Sports Village during pre-season, but you have to go back to 4 May for our last competitive home outing (and it was actually April when we last lined up at LSV for a competitive fixture). And what a day it was in May, as Marc Skinner’s Reds picked up a point against Manchester City in the glorious sunshine at Old Trafford to secure Champions League qualification for our forthcoming campaign, which really kicks into gear with this afternoon’s WSL opener against Leicester.

But this isn’t our first competitive action of 2025/26, of course…

That’s right. United are already two games into the new season, having successfully navigated our way through the Champions League’s second qualifying round last month. To progress to the next stage, Skinner’s side had to win a four-team mini-tournament in Sweden, and win it we did. Elisabeth Terland’s first Reds hat-trick inspired us to a 4-0 victory over Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in our semi-final, before Terland got the only goal of the final against Swedish side Hammarby, ensuring we’ll be on our travels in Europe again next week (flick to page 10 for more on that).

Today we’ve got a high-noon kick-off at LSV to get things going in the WSL…

It’s one of four games taking place on the WSL’s opening Sunday, a season that is already well under way after Chelsea hosted Manchester City in Friday’s ribbon-cutting opener and Arsenal welcomed newly promoted London City Lionesses to the top flight on Saturday. Like here in Leigh, all of today’s matches elsewhere get going at 12pm. The slate features Merseyside and London derbies, as Liverpool host Everton and Spurs do battle with West Ham, while Brighton are also at home to Aston Villa.

Plenty of games for the armchair fans at home to follow this weekend then – but even better to be in the LSV stands, of course… Absolutely. And it goes without saying how appreciated that support is. Although, Marc Skinner did sum it up perfectly after our recent win over Hammarby in Sweden.

“It gave us that intent, it roared us on,” he said of the noise created by the travelling Reds. “You see when we celebrate, we celebrate with our fans. We’re one, we’re in unison and when we stay like that, we can be unstoppable. We’re one club, one team, going against the rest of them. That’s what I want to see this season.”

Let’s bring that energy again today then. How about on the pitch though – what should we be looking out for today?

There’s plenty, but the sight of summer signings lining up is a point of intrigue never to be looked past at this time of year. At the

time of printing (before Thursday’s WSL transfer deadline), the Reds had added two recruits to the squad for 2025/26 in the form of Swedish duo Fridolina Rolfo and Julia Zigiotti Olme, after their spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively. Versatile left-sided player Rolfo is yet to feature for us, and this game may come just too soon as she builds her way back up from a knock, but midfielder Zigiotti started both recent Champions League games and could make her WSL return today, having previously represented Brighton in this division between 2022-24.

How about today’s opponents Leicester – what’s the latest in their camp?

The Foxes are in the process of appointing a new manager after the sudden parting of company with former boss Amandine Miquel – and her assistant Amaury Messuwe – just 10 days ago, with former West Ham assistant boss Rick Passmoor taking charge in the interim. Miquel guided Leicester to a 10th-place finish last term, their joint-highest in the WSL. We did the double over the East Midlands side in 2024/25 but, make no mistake about it, they have proved stern opponents at times historically and can be expected to provide a real test again here. We’ll have to be on top form to hit the ground running. C’mon, Reds!

REDS PAIR HEAD TO SUNDERLAND

Forward Barry and defender Rabjohn make temporary moves to WSL2 side

Young Reds Keira Barry and Evie Rabjohn have both joined WSL2 side Sunderland on loan.

Keira, 20, is to team up with the Black Cats – who finished seventh in the second tier last term – until 31 December, with Evie’s temporary move running until the end of the season.

This will be Keira’s second senior loan, after a move to Crystal Palace for 2023/24. She was part of the Eagles squad that won promotion, although her campaign was disrupted by injury.

The forward was brought off the United bench during our recent win against PSV, for her first Reds appearance since December 2022.

As for Evie, having overcome an anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept her out of action last season, she lined up for United in pre-season, impressing at centre-back as we kept clean sheets in friendlies against her former club Aston Villa, as well as Manchester City.

The 20-year-old’s one competitive outing for the Reds came in November 2023 – another clean sheet as we beat Everton 7-0 in the League Cup. We’d like to wish both Evie and Keira the very best for the months ahead, as they gain further senior experience with the Wearside club.

TRIO UP FOR POTM AWARD

Three Reds were nominated for August’s Player of the Month award, sponsored by Estee Lauder. Hinata Miyazawa, Elisabeth Terland and Julia Zigiotti Olme were all in the running for the accolade, following their impressive contributions throughout our UWCL qualifiers in Stockholm during the month. The online fan vote was open all week, closing ahead of today’s Leicester match. To find out which of the three took the prize, head to ManUtd.com.

AWAY FIXTURE TICKET NEWS

At the time of writing, tickets for our UWCL third qualifying round first leg, away to Norwegian side SK Brann, were still available. Tickets for the game at Brann Stadion this coming Thursday are 150 NOK (£12). After the trip to Bergen, next Sunday sees the Reds head south to face another new opponent, London City Lionesses, at their CopperJax Community Stadium. We have received 560 tickets, all of which are now sold out. For the latest ticket news, scan this QR code.

SUCCESS IN STOCKHOLM

IT WAS MISSION ACCOMPLISHED IN THE SWEDISH CAPITAL -- BUT WE’VE STILL GOT ONE LAST CHALLENGE TO OVERCOME TO REACH THE UWCL’S TOP TABLE

As you’re probably aware, we’ve got two very important games of European football coming up in the next 11 days, with United now just one two-legged tie away from reaching the Women’s Champions League ‘proper’ for the very first time.

Our forthcoming double-header with Brann is in the third qualifying round stage – the final step of what’s been a rather convoluted start to the 2025/26 UWCL, involving numerous mini-tournaments, each hosted by one of the four teams involved. Pleasingly,

we can now simplify the many permutations down to this: if we beat Brann over two legs we’ll join Chelsea and Arsenal in the UWCL’s centrepiece: the 18-team UWCL league phase. Should we lose to Brann, we’ll drop into the inaugural Europa Cup.

Had we failed to progress as winners in our Stockholm mini-tournament, where we faced the hosts on their own patch in the final, that would have put an end to our UWCL campaign, so the stakes were high, with two professional displays taking us through.

Our semi-final, played against PSV at Stockholm’s 3Arena in a pre-lunchtime Wednesday time-slot, was witnessed by a crowd of just 370, with the chants from the 100 or so United fans echoing around the stadium.

Marc Skinner’s Reds flew out of the traps, with Lisa Naalsund pressing the opposition into a mistake, before playing in Elisabeth Terland to fire home on seven minutes. After 32 minutes it was 2-0: Ella Toone saw her shot saved, but Celin Bizet Donnum was on hand

MATCH DETAILS

SECOND ROUND QUALIFIER, SEMI-FINAL

WED 27 AUG; 3ARENA

UNITED 4 (Terland 7, 53, 64; Bizet Donnum 32) PSV 0

ATT: 370

UNITED: Tullis-Joyce; Riviere, Le Tissier, Janssen, Sandberg (Turner 65); Miyazawa, Zigiotti Olme (Barry 78); Bizet Donnum (Malard 65), Toone, Naalsund; Terland. SUBS NOT USED: Middleton-Patel, Rendell, Hill, Rabjohn, Anderson.

BOOKED: None

SECOND ROUND QUALIFIER, FINAL

SAT 30 AUG; 3ARENA

UNITED 1 (Terland 61) HAMMARBY 0

ATT: 5,546

UNITED: Tullis-Joyce; Sandberg, Le Tissier, Janssen, Riviere; Miyazawa, Zigiotti Olme; Bizet Donnum, Toone, Malard; Terland (Naalsund 90).

SUBS NOT USED: Middleton-Patel, Rendell, Hill, Rabjohn, Turner, Anderson, Barry.

BOOKED: Toone, Riviere, Bizet Donnum

to blast home. Two more strikes from Terland after the break – both assisted by Toone – completed the rout.

With Hammarby beating Ukrainians Metalist Kharkiv 5-4 later that day, it set up our Saturday clash with the hosts in the final, and it was a far greater challenge against Martin Sjogren’s side, who finished third in the Damallsvenskan last season. A bigger crowd of 5,546 witnessed the action, and despite United dominating the ball, Hammarby had the best chance of the first half, as Sofia Reidy struck the bar from close range.

The Reds kept their heads, however, and while Anna Sandberg and Julia Zigiotti Olme would both go close, it would be Terland who made the breakthrough once again. In the 61st minute, Bizet Donnum’s cross found Melvine Malard at the back post, and the French forward pulled the ball back to Terland to fire home.

The hosts worked hard to create a chance, but led by Maya Le Tissier at the back, United stood firm to record another clean sheet and confirm our progress.

BRING ON BRANN!

United and SK Brann have never met competitively, although there are several links between the teams. Lisa Naalsund and Elisabeth Terland both played for our forthcoming opponents –Naalsund was at Brann (formerly known as Sandviken) between 2019-22, while Terland teamed up with Lisa during the Bergen side’s title-winning campaigns of 2021 and 2022. They currently top the Norwegian Toppserien after 18 matches of the 2025 season, under the management of recent Crystal Palace Women boss Leif Gunnar Smerud, and they beat both Inter and Braga in their mini-tournament to reach this stage of the UWCL. In their last two seasons they were managed by our ex-assistant manager (and current Spurs boss) Martin Ho.

Maya THE CAPTAIN

AS UNITED’S HOME CAMPAIGN BEGINS, MAYA CAN’T WAIT TO SHARE THE LSV ATMOSPHERE WITH OUR SIGNINGS...

We’re so excited to be back at Leigh Sports Village for our first WSL game of the season.

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome our new players to the squad, and I hope they all have a successful time here. Our summer signings have settled in well and it’s always fantastic to have new talent within the squad, and see the experience they bring.

I’m looking forward to them seeing just how important LSV is to us. We are really proud of our home and our record here is so strong. I’m excited for them to understand how fantastic our fanbase is and hear just how loud you can get. They had a small insight into that in Stockholm but now they’ll get to witness our home first hand.

It’s been a demanding pre-season for a lot of the girls. With players coming back from a busy Euros it’s been a short one, but we are all ready to go for 2025/26.

We were happy with our performances in the Champions League. Two clean sheets and five goals scored was really good against tough opposition.

I want to take the time to thank the fans who travelled to Sweden. You were a really important part of the occasion, especially in the final game. The Hammarby fans were so loud but we could hear our support throughout the whole match and it made such a difference. We are so grateful for that.

IF YOU’RE NOT ALREADY FULLY ACTIVATED INTO NEW-SEASON MODE, OUR FIVE-PAGE PREVIEW WILL HAVE YOU PROPERLY SWITCHED ON FOR ’25/26...

Words Mikey Partington

Fresh faces (at United)

Sweden internationals Julia Zigiotti Olme and Fridolina Rolfo have had a few weeks to settle into the United family, following their exciting arrivals earlier in the summer. Zigiotti – a hard-working midfielder who lifted the German title with Bayern last season – was first to join, before versatile full-back/winger Rolfo followed suit after four years at Barcelona, where she got into double figures for winner’s medals, including two in the Champions League. Both players add bags of top-level experience and quality to our squad at the start of another big term.

Fresh faces (across the WSL)

Of course, United weren’t the only WSL club active in the market this summer. Deals were done across the division ahead of Thursday’s deadline (which these pages printed just before), with none more headline-making than Olivia Smith’s switch from Liverpool to Arsenal, a move that saw the Canada forward become the first £1m player in the women’s game. The Champions League winners also secured the permanent signing of England hero Chloe Kelly from Manchester City, while newly promoted London City Lionesses caught our eye by acquiring several familiar faces (more on those later).

Quartet of competitions

For the second time in our history, the Reds will compete on four fronts this season, after qualifying for the Champions League. Alongside our European campaign, Marc Skinner’s side begin the bid to build on last term’s third-place finish in the Women’s Super League this afternoon, while we’ll also be on the silverware hunt in the two domestic cup competitions later in 2025/26. United have received a bye to December’s League Cup quarter-finals due to our European involvement, while we’ll enter the FA Cup in the fourth round, scheduled for January.

New rules to look out for

A spate of fresh regulations have been introduced in the WSL for the 2025/26 season, perhaps none more publicised than the law that will see goalkeepers concede a corner for holding on to the ball for more than eight seconds, in a bid to crack down on time-wasting. Other implementations include only captains being able to approach referees to have important decisions explained, while penalty takers will now be allowed to retake kicks if they have accidentally touched the ball twice in the process of scoring.

WSL rebrand and expansion

There haven’t just been tweaks on the field. Off it, the second tier has been renamed WSL2, as part of a unified rebrand that sees new logos and fresh colour schemes. The structure will also alter at the end of the campaign, as the top flight expands from 12 to 14 teams. For this term, it means the top two sides in WSL2 will earn automatic promotion (as opposed to one previously), while there will be no immediate relegation for the club that finishes bottom of our league. Instead, they’ll face the third-place finisher from tier two in a play-off, for the right to be part of the 14-strong top flight in 2026/27.

Above left Medal collector Rolfo can play anywhere down the left

Above If they count beyond eight, you’re in trouble! Far left Seven-figure Smith has swapped Liverpool for Arsenal Left Zigiotti was our first summer arrival, on 31 July

Milestones on the horizon

Making history is in United Women’s DNA, so it comes as little surprise that more milestones are just around the corner for our team and players at the start of this season. On a collective front, we’re just one off the big 500-goal mark in all competitions, while there are several individual landmarks looming for members of the squad. In terms of appearances, Ella Toone is 10 away from becoming the team’s first double centurion, while Maya Le Tissier and Hannah Blundell are three and nine outings respectively from joining the 100 club. As far as goals are concerned, Leah Galton needs six more to be just the second Red after Toone to hit 50 goals since our reformation in 2018.

BUMPER BROADCAST DEAL

We all know there’s no better place to support United than from the stands, although there is good news if you can’t make it to any of the Reds’ other WSL games

this season. That’s because fans in the UK will be able to see more of the league’s matches on TV than ever before as a new five-year broadcast partnership begins, with every top-flight fixture to be shown live on either Sky Sports or the BBC.

Blundell is back!

We can’t wait to see Hannah return this term, after the flying full-back missed the last campaign while giving birth to her little Blundell of joy (sorry), baby daughter, Romi. Our 2022/23 Players’ Player of the Year was back in training during pre-season and has since been building up her fitness behind the scenes. “I’m excited to come back and then the thought of her [Romi] watching me play is something that I probably can’t describe until it happens, but it’s something I’m really looking forward to,” she said earlier this year.

Big-four battles

Clashes with our biggest WSL adversaries are always key dates to look out for. We don’t have to wait long for the first two of those either, with Arsenal (21 September) and Chelsea (4 October, TBC) both due here in Leigh before the season’s first international break. The return trips are

set to be our first and last league games of the current WSL campaign once the calendar clicks into 2026, while the derbies with City have been provisionally scheduled. We’ll go to the Etihad in November before the reverse fixture at Old Trafford in March.

Old Trafford outings

Pencilled in for 29 March, our clash with City is set to be the second of two WSL fixtures hosted at the Theatre of Dreams this season, with Aston Villa’s visit on the unconfirmed date of 8 November also due to be contested in M16. Skinner’s team will have great memories as they head back to our historic home stadium after sealing Champions League qualification there last season, while the two matches will provide fresh opportunities to break the team’s all-time home attendance record of 43,615.

the Lionesses roar back

United’s Grace Clinton, Maya Le Tissier and Ella Toone come into 2025/26 fresh from being crowned European champions with England over the summer. Like every Red who represented the club during July’s competition in Switzerland, the trio did us all immensely proud on their way to helping the Lionesses retain their continental crown, and we

can expect them to be hungry for more silverware success as they get back into the swing of club action.

the Lionesses from london

The triumphant England players will not be the only Lionesses in the division this season, after London City Lionesses were promoted to the top flight by winning the second tier in 2024/25. In doing so, they became the first club to join the WSL without any affiliation to a men’s team. They’ve since made a serious wave in the transfer market too, signing a league-high 14 players at the time of printing, including former Reds Nikita Parris and Katie Zelem. Their first home opponents in the WSL at the club’s CopperJax Community Stadium home (better known as Hayes Lane, in Bromley)? Manchester United, next Sunday at 12pm. It’s sure to be a bumper crowd at their 5,000-capacity home, and we can’t wait.

ourthree EUROS WINNERS will be hungry for more silverware success

Left Keets (and Zel) could be up against their old club next weekend

Right Simpson is one of many young Reds who’ll be competiting in WSL2 this season

Below Another tasty springtime derby awaits at Old Trafford

ROSTER OF REDS OUT ON LOAN

Away from United, there are several young Reds to keep an eye on this season, as they look to continue developing with loan spells at WSL2 clubs. Aside from Evie Rabjohn and Keira Barry’s temporary moves away – as reported on p9 – defender Jess Simpson and midfielder Emma Watson will spend the campaign gaining further senior experience at Southampton and Crystal Palace respectively. The pair both made their senior Reds debuts last term and will be hoping to feature regularly for their new teams in the months ahead. Elsewhere, Lucy Newell, who was nominated for the second tier’s Rising Star award during her time with Blackburn in 2024/25, is back in the division having secured a move to Birmingham. Away from the English league, Geyse’s spell at Gotham FC in the United States – which started in March – is due to run until November’s end to the NWSL season.

ICYMI

Just in case you missed it, here are a few other things to look out for…

There is a new look to a number of our players’ shirts this season, including that of Celin Bizet Donnum, as she is now known after getting married in the summer (congrats, Celin!). As a result, the winger will sport ‘Bizet Donnum’ above the 15 on the back of her jersey. Her compatriot Elisabeth Terland has switched to no.10, having worn 19 while topping our scoring charts last term. The new number would seem to agree with Teri so far! In other news, our league trip to Everton in October is scheduled to be played at the Toffees’ new Hill Dickinson Stadium, while fans attending WSL and League Cup games at Leigh Sports Village and Old Trafford will have the option to consume alcohol in the stands as part of a trial for 2025/26. So drink sensibly, grown-ups... and try not to spill it!

Our no.1 was named in the senior England squad in April last year, before joining us in January from Southampton. She impressed in goal in the World Sevens in May.

2. ANNA SANDBERG

The left-back played 22 games in her maiden Reds season of ’24/25, and the young Swede would have enjoyed lining up in her homeland to kick off the current campaign.

6. HANNAH BLUNDELL

Back on the training ground following maternity leave, our flying full-back – and 2022/23 Players’ Player of the Year – is nine short of 100 United appearances.

7. ELLA TOONE 8. GRACE CLINTON 9. MELVINE MALARD 10. ELISABETH TERLAND 11. LEAH GALTON 1. KAYLA RENDELL

The French forward made her loan move from Lyon permanent in July 2024. A menace inside the box, her hold-up play means she brings far more than just goals.

SQUAD SN APSHOTs

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THOSE IN RED

After arriving from Everton in summer 2023, Gabs bounced back from injury to play 26 games last term. Highly consistent out wide, she’s a massive United fan.

Now a double Euros winner with England, how our record scorer (61) and appearance maker (190) would love to add to her two club honours with United in 2025/26.

Our new no.10 (‘Teri’ wore 19 last season) has started ’25/26 superbly, with four UWCL goals to her name. Can the Norwegian striker beat last term’s tally of 12?

3. GABBY GEORGE 4. MAYA LE TISSIER

Maya’s hardly missed a kick since signing from Brighton in 2022, with a century of games imminent. The Euro 2025 winner took the skipper’s armband last summer.

Having really established herself with club and country last season, with nine goals in 28 games for United, the fleet-footed midfielder was also a Euros winner in July.

One of our remaing ‘Originals’, the winger scored our most recent goal against the Foxes, rounding off March’s 2-0 at LSV. She now has 44 goals in 162 United games.

ROLFO

The left-sided summer signing is equally comfortable in attack or defence, and won her 100th cap for Sweden at the Euros. With Barça she won the UWCL twice.

The Norwegian forward has a new name after getting married this summer. Her first of seven United goals came against Leicester last November, as we won away 2-0.

JULIA ZIGIOTTI OLME

Previously a team-mate of Terland at Brighton, the 27-year-old defensive midfielder spent last season at Bayern Munich, before joining the Reds in late July.

Rach is rightly proud of her ‘super sub’ role, having stepped off the bench to score so many occasions since July 2022. July saw her sign a one-year contract extension.

AWUJO

The Canadian, who turns 22 this month, won the Breakout Star award in May’s World Sevens. She’ll be keen to add to her 17 appearances in midfield in ’25/26.

Experienced no.16 turned 30 in June, and was in the starting XI for our ’25/26 opener in Stockholm. The ex-Brann player always brings composure to the Reds midfield.

Having overcome injury in her debut campaign of 2023/24, last season saw Hini have a much bigger impact, with her intelligent midfield play utilised in 28 games.

Another to sign a new deal this summer, the 20-year-old keeper – who played for Wales at the Euros – made her Reds debut in our cup win v Newcastle last year.

Simi’s compatriot offers serious pace out wide, with her dynamic play last term earning her a spot in the PFA WSL Team of the Year. Jayde’s played 47 games for us.

Another midfielder who brings plenty of knowhow to the team, Dom has 128 Netherlands caps to her name alongside spells at SGS Essen, Arsenal and Wolfsburg.

Ever-dependable centre-back has been the ultimate team player since her 2018 debut. Last term was Millie’s third straight season of reaching 30 club appearances.

With 13 clean sheets, PTJ shared the ’24/25 WSL Golden Glove with Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton. This year has also seen the brilliant 28-year-old make her USA debut.

Stands IN THE WHO’S HERE

FOR TODAY’S BIG GAME?

↑ Welcome back to LSV,

– she’s got United Women posters all over her bedroom!

↑

↑

↓ A warm LSV welcome to both Izzy and

!

↑ Jaxon is a proud Red already, and he’s just five months old!

YOUR TEXT MESSAGES

● Under-13s girls’ team Ellington Junior are at the big game

– we hope you all have a great time cheering on the Reds!

● Happy 14th birthday, Isla. Love Mum, Dad, Lola and Poppy. Enjoy the game and come on United!

● Happy birthday to Hannah who celebrated her 11th birthday in August. She loves Toone and Terland.

● Happy 13th birthday to Ellie Bancroft. Her favourite player is Maya Le Tissier. Have a brilliant day, Ellie!

We’re here for it all

From the grandstands to the grassroots, Barclays has invested millions in community sports since 2001.

Supporting the superstars and the future stars.

Because there is no football without grassroots football.

Search ‘Barclays Football’ to find out more.

MANCHESTER UNITED

SUMMER OF INSPIRATION

Female participants from Manchester United Foundation have enjoyed a summer of wonderful opportunities, including the chance to play on the pitch at Old Trafford and various tournaments bringing hundreds of youngsters together.

Fifty primary school-aged girls – from our Street Reds projects and Emerging Talent Centre programme – were able to step on to the hallowed turf at the Theatre of Dreams, using inspiration from this summer’s Euro 2025.

The Foundation delivers Street Reds, a free community football programme for 8-18 year olds, at more than 20 sites across Greater Manchester, with girls-only sessions at every location.

“It was so special to score in this magical place and I even got to do my celebration!” said one participant, Bella. “I can’t believe how good the grass is to play on; I loved it, and I can’t wait to tell all my friends at school.”

Among several other events, one of the most recent has been a community festival for 150 girls to come together for a day dedicated to football, fun and new experiences.

Girls get stuck into some special activities during the off-season, including one unforgettable day at Old Trafford...

The participants took part in small-sided games, activities to improve their skills in specific areas – such as finishing and goalkeeping – and stepped into the roles of commentator and referee in other unique workshops.

Female community coordinator, Becky Topping, said: “We’ve had

an incredible time hosting so many events over the summer for our female participants; it’s been inspiring to see the next generation of players, referees, coaches and fans enjoying the game together.”

Visit mufoundation.org for more

I wAnt to Moment

live in the

AHEAD OF OUR BIG TRIP TO STOCKHOLM, VERSATILE NO.17 DOMINIQUE JANSSEN JOINS US FOR A CHAT

AT CARRINGTON, WHERE SHE TELLS US WHY BEING PRESENT-MINDED AND FOCUSED IS SO IMPORTANT TO HER, BOTH ON AND OFF THE PITCH...

Interview Charlie Ghagan

Let’s start with our pre-season friendlies: unbeaten in all four games, with three clean sheets – which you must be happy about having played in defence for all of them?

Yes. The summer flew by because of the Euros, and some of the players came back later because of that, so we’ve only had the full squad back together for two weeks now, but it’s been really positive. We went to Marbella as a group and we’ve had some intensive time together to work on some things. The results have been positive too. So it’s been a good pre-season but I’m happy it’s over so the real work can start.

Evie Rabjohn partnered you at the back for two of those clean sheets in the pre-season games... That was really nice. Coming back from an ACL injury

FACTFILE

FULL NAME

Dominique

Johanna Anna Petrone Janssen

DATE OF BIRTH 17 January 1995

POSITION Defender/midfielder

PLACE OF BIRTH

Horst aan de Maas, Netherlands

YOUTH CAREER RKsv Wittenhorst

SENIOR CAREER (league only)

2013-15 SGS Essen, 42 games, 3 goals

2015-19 Arsenal, 66 games, 11 goals

2019-24 Wolfsburg, 98 games, 20 goals

2024- Manchester United (all comps), 31 games, 2 goals

INTERNATIONAL CAREER

Netherlands – 128 caps, 6 goals

HONOURS FA Cup: 2015/16

League Cup: 2015, 2017/18

Women’s Super League: 2018/19

Frauen Bundesliga: 2019/20, 2021/22;

DFB Pokal: 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24

is not easy and I have been trying to help her a lot, to stay positive and also tell her that it’s all right when maybe there is one day when it’s not going the way you want it to go. So playing alongside her has been fun, and off the pitch we’ve became pretty close friends. Because we know each other off the pitch better it’s nicer to play on the pitch together, and get to know each other on that level as well.

Last time we spoke to you, in May, you said you wanted to have a leadership role and always be a good example, regardless of your matchday involvement. As such, we presume you’ll be happy to continue playing in defence if needed... Yes, wherever they need me that’s where I’ll play. Looking at how much experience I have over the past few years, I think I have a lot if I compare myself to the rest of the team generally, so I take that role seriously. But first of all you have to find your own space in the team and also perform well – that’s the main priority, but I think it’s important to take on a leadership role beside having a good performance myself.

Our two new additions Julia Zigiotti Olme and Fridolina Rolfo certainly bring experience. What have you made of their start to life in Manchester? I’ve played with Fridolina before, at Wolfsburg, so I’m really happy that’s she’s joined. First, because she’s a really good player, but off the pitch she’s such a kind human being. Before I didn’t really know Julia too well but seeing her at the Euros I realised what a good player she is, and then seeing her join us, obviously that was really nice. They both bring more experience to the squad alongside the young players we have.

Jumping back to before the Euros, how was your summer break? Do you find it easy to properly switch off for a bit in this social media age? Before the Euros I was able to go on holiday, but of course I had the Euros in the back of my mind. Because I still have to train, you can’t fully switch off,

which will always be the case before a tournament. So you just try to switch off as much as you can – enjoy some good weather, some good food, but also do some fitness. So that was nice but after the Euros it’s about getting downtime for yourself. I decided this time not to go on holiday but just to stay at home surrounded by family and friends, which was really nice because I’m basically on the road all the time. I felt like, I don’t want to travel again, or go to a hotel again, or live out of my bag again! I’ve been doing that for the past two months, so sometimes it’s nice to be at one place surrounded by people you love. It was really good to just be there feeling the moment.

Living in the moment can be a challenge, can’t it... Social media is such a big thing these days in so many people’s lives, but I don’t want it to affect me in a negative way so I try not to be too involved on it. I have a limit on my phone so I can only do it for 20 minutes a day. If I scroll, I enjoy it but after that 20 minutes shows up, I’m like ‘okay!’ I know it’s not real life and I want to live in the moment and enjoy everything around me, because everything gets put on social media so much that it’s hard to tell what is real and what isn’t.

That’s sound advice, especially for youngsters...

Young people should live real life and not feel like they are missing out on what they see on social media, because you can start to feel that

way pretty quickly. But it is hard. I remember when I was young, I was bored sometimes but if people get bored now, they go on their phone anyway, rather than chat to someone, or picking up a magazine, or just staring ahead! I find it nice to try to do that, to really want to be in the moment. It’s good sometimes to be bored, even if feels uncomfortable!

A couple of Instagram moments we do have to mention though, are Celin’s wedding and Ella’s engagement. You must have all enjoyed hearing about their celebratory moments this summer... I feel like lately this has been a hot topic! It’s been very nice seeing people find the love of their lives. Committing your life to one person is a beautiful thing. And it’s even more beautiful in the summer –Celin getting married, and looking so nice, and then Tooney, with everything she’s been going through in the past year or so, it’s been really nice for her to have such a happy moment. So yes of course, there’s been continuous talk about this around the team, and it’s been fun!

afterthe Euros it’s aboutgetting downtime.I stayedathome whichwasnice

As for the Euros, obviously it wasn’t a great tournament for the Dutch team, but were you able to enjoy watching it after your group-stage elimination? No, I didn’t watch anything! Obviously I saw bits on social media but I felt like, I really want to switch off from football, because you’re involved in football all the time.

So my flight back to Manchester was the time of the final – I honestly didn’t even know the game was at that time, I just booked my flight that was best for me because I had to be back for training the following day.

Well, it was probably a good time to avoid any traffic near Manchester airport!

Yes, that was definitely true! After we were knocked out, I left the Euros to one side, to focus on myself and move on before the new season starts again.

England’s Euros success in 2022 led to a rise in interest in the domestic game – do you sense the same could happen again after their Euro 2025 win?

If you look at the Liverpool friendly, I couldn’t believe how many people were there. It was my mum’s first time at LSV, and I told her, ‘I don’t think there will be many people because it’s a friendly,’ but one whole stand was filled, which I can’t ever recall before. Even going further back, I remember after the World Cup in 2015, which is when I joined Arsenal, there was a boost then in attendances [after England finished third], so it’s obvious that new fans want to come to WSL games to see players who have played for the national team. So hopefully we can see a big crowd for this Leicester game, and it’s always exciting to start at home.

We beat Leicester 2-0 home and away last season. What do you remember of those WSL games?

Wewanttofinishhigher thanlastyearbuttop threeisarealistictarget, withsilverwarebeing Thecherryonthecake

For the away game, I remember their nice stadium, and I had a Japanese midfielder [Yuka Momiki] to mark. Japanese players can be so quick on the turn and hard to defend, as I’m a big player. So she was really good, but we won, which was nice. We have to make sure we do that again for our first game. We’ve progressed a lot but we want to do better this time.

Our first WSL away game is against London City Lionesses – a very intriguing fixture against a new opponent. Your international team-mate Danielle van de Donk is one of many big-name new arrivals. How are you looking forward to that? I’m really looking forward to it. It’s so hard to guess how good they are going to be. They have new signings, but also big players. They are definitely one team you can never underestimate this season, even though they have come from the second WSL. So we’ll have to be on our toes. They will be at home – their first WSL game at home – so they will want to start well at home. Danielle is a good friend of mine, so I’m excited to see and play against her, but of course we’ll be going there looking to beat them, not to have fun.

Last season was certainly a positive one, but the aim this time around has to be to push further. What would constitute a good 2025/26 for United? I think the aim on a continuous basis has to be to play in the Champions League – the women’s team is still only seven years old, but we want to keep pushing forward, while playing in that competition every year. But group-stage qualification in the Champions League for the first time will be a massive thing, of course. It’ll mean midweek games, in different countries, different cultures, against teams from different levels. And in the WSL, obviously we want to finish higher than last year but top three is a realistic target, with silverware being the cherry on the cake.

LEICESTER CITY

It was February 2019 when Leicester first faced United, and their 7-0 loss in the second tier was a sign of things to come for the Foxes, who arrive at LSV having conceded exactly 50 goals in 14 games against us, 11 of which have been United victories.

That’s not to say they haven’t had their moments, especially after they turned professional in summer 2020. Not only did Leicester win a swift promotion, but they beat the Reds 3-2 at LSV in the FA Cup in May 2021 – Casey Stoney’s last game as boss. While we’ve had the upper hand since then, winning both ’24/25 games 2-0, their 1-1 draw at LSV in October 2023 (right) will serve as a reminder that our visitors have come a long way since our early meetings.

RECENT FORM

Leicester faced Everton, Aston Villa and Sunderland behind closed doors in pre-season, before signing off last Friday with a 3-1 loss to London City Lionesses. That defeat came hot on the heels of their sudden split with boss Amandine Miquel, only 10 days before today’s WSL opener. The French coach had been appointed in July 2024 but was unable to deliver an improved league finish – the Foxes placed 10th for a third straight season – despite recording a best-ever points tally in the top division last term. Ex-Leeds boss Rick Passmoor has taken over as interim head coach.

On the playing staff, American midfielder Celeste Boureille, versatile Heather Payne and teenage keeper Katie Keane have all arrived, while there have been eight summer exits, including long-serving defender Sophie Howard, who joined Como in Italy, and midfielder Ruby Mace, who joined Everton on Wednesday.

ABOUT OUR OPPONENTS...

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR...

The departure of Howard leaves Sam Tierney (below) as Leicester’s joint-longest serving player, the versatile no.3 having joined the Foxes as they turned professional in the summer of 2020. The 26-year-old passed 100 appearances last season and has played more games than anyone in the club’s 21-year history. Tierney was previously a centre-back and brings attributes from that to her role as a defensive midfielder, protecting the backline while those around her try to push on. In attack, Wales international Hannah Cain finished 2024/25 with three goals in the final two WSL games of the campaign. She typically operates from the right wing, but is adaptable enough to switch to the left, or play through the middle, as was the case when she netted a brace against West Ham on the final day of last season.

Formed: 2004

Nickname: The Foxes

Home stadium:

King Power Stadium (capacity 32,259)

Major honours:

Women’s Championship (second tier), 2020/21

Last season: WSL 10th place, FA Cup 5th round, League Cup group stage; top scorer (all comps): Yuka Momiki (6)

Record v United: P14 W1 D2 L11 F11 A50

LAST WSL LINE-UP

leader on the pitch...

Captain Janice Cayman signed a new contract in July to extend her stay into a third season, and Leicester parting with head coach Miquel so close to the start of the season only underlines the importance of the Belgian no.11’s leadership role, on and off the pitch. A two-time Champions League winner, who started all three of Belgium’s games at Euro 2025, Cayman has bags of experience that not many across the entire league can match. And much like Tierney and Cain, her versatility is a huge asset, with Cayman – who turns 37 next month – beginning last season at left-back, playing up front for a spell, and finishing the campaign in central midfield. Cayman has made a habit of scoring important goals too, with all four of her 2024/25 strikes in the WSL contributing to three vital wins that steered her team away from a relegation battle.

SeVEN LUCKY

ONE RED RANDOMLY PICKS SEVEN BOXES, EACH CONTAINING AN OFFBEAT QUESTION -- FIRST UP, IT’S OUR CHEERLEADING NO.21 MILLIE TURNER

Q: What’s the last thing you bought that you were really excited about?

“Well, I’ve just moved into a new house so I bought nine lamps for the new place! All in one go – yes, I know that’s stupid. So I’m looking forward to putting them all up; it’s exciting! I need to get up to speed with the technology, so I can control them all on my phone. That would be cool. I hate big lights, I don’t understand why people use them. I’ll walk past people’s houses and see the big ones on and think, ‘that’s not a warm light!’ I need a warm light. You get that from a lamp.”

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you would give to a young player?

“It’s the advice I was given from Casey Stoney, who said to me – well, to the whole team –ahead of our first season: ‘You’re all here for your own individual reasons, and you should all go and express who you are on the pitch – not just who you are as players, but who you are as people’. And that really spoke to me. Everyone is unique so when you express your personality on the pitch you really stand out.”

Q: Did you have a childhood nickname?

“I did. I first got called this by my cousin –Millsquid! And after that people would call me Squid. And there’s no reason for it, it was just what people called me. So if I went back to my home town now and someone went ‘Hey, Squid’, I’d turn around as I’d know they were talking to me. It meant nothing, I think it just rolled off the tongue!”

Q: Do you practise goal celebrations – either on the training ground or in front of the mirror?

“I do admit, I have practised in front of the mirror! But at the World Sevens we all practised our celebrations and our walkouts. Who knows, maybe we’ll start doing that this season because that was pretty cool. I was injured so wasn’t involved in the group walkouts but I was the biggest cheerleader.”

Q: What’s a quality you admire in other people?

“I’d say positivity. It’s just nice to be around positive people; people who always want to make you smile. That’s an important thing.”

Q: Where is the most unlikely place you’ve been recognised?

“I was on holiday in Venice, and I literately had all of my suitcases with me... [laughs] I’ll never forget this! You know those stairs that go over the bridge in Venice? So I’m there with all my cases, sweating away, and I hear someone go: ‘Millie?... are you Millie Turner?’ And I was like [grimaces],

“ifIwentbacktomyhometown andsomeonewent‘Hey,Squid’, I’dknowtheyweretalking tome.butItmeantnothing!”

‘yeah!’ I’ve no idea if it was a United fan, or just a football fan. Honestly, I was sweating so much! So that was the most random place.”

Q: What’s your favourite shirt number and why?

“My favourite has always been 21 – a lot of very good players have worn the 21 shirt and ever since I signed my first pro contract at Everton, I’ve been 21 at every club. There’s Andrea Pirlo – you know, we’re obviously very similar! [Laughs] David Silva was also 21 – yes, I know he played for City but you had to admire him, no matter who you supported. I did request it when joining United. A few clubs came in for me, and I had to choose. United said they’d give me the no.21 shirt so I was like ‘all right then!’ It swayed me!”

EURO STARS

MATCH THESE REDS TO THE COUNTRIES THEY WERE CALLED UP BY FOR EURO 2025, BASED ON THE MAPS!… FACTS & FUNNIES FROM FRED THE RED!

JANSSEN LE TISSIER MALARD MIDDLETON-PATEL TERLAND

1 2 CAN YOU IDENTIFY THESE THREE UNITED STARS FROM OUR FRIENDLY WIN OVER REAL BETIS? 3

SQUAD SEARCH

CAN YOU FIND EIGHT PLAYERS WHO WERE AMONG THOSE TO FEATURE IN LAST SEASON’S WSL OPENER, AGAINST WEST HAM?

F S J B E Z D T W W T A U A S

Live every week on Sky Sports, BBC, and YouTube.

STATS AT THE BACK

WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE FINAL TABLE, 2024/25

UNITED APPEARANCES & GOALS, 2025/26

SCORERS,

A CLOSER LOOK...

Since our last match programme – for May’s Old Trafford game v City – there’s been a bit of movement in our all-time lists (see below). Leah Galton (left) is now third for appearances, overtaking Katie Zelem, while Melvine Malard is just one game away from catching Kirsty Smith on 58 appearances. When it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net, Elisabeth Terland is the big mover, with her four recent UWCL strikes seeing her race up to joint-ninth in our all-time list, with 16 goals from 29 games – an identical record to Mollie Green (left).

WSL TOP ASSISTS, 2024/25

WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE

pREVIeW

WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE OTHER GAMES TAKING PLACE OVER THE WEEKEND...

By the time the action kicks off in Leigh this afternoon, four WSL teams will have already played their opening fixture of 2025/26, with the action beginning on Friday night at Stamford Bridge.

There, Sonia Bompastor’s Chelsea – six-time defending champions – faced a challenging start against Manchester City, led by their new manager Andree Jeglertz, the Swede joining the club following the conclusion of Denmark’s Euro 2025 campaign.

The Saturday game was just as intriguing, with the Emirates providing the grand stage for London City Lionesses, as they made their WSL debut armed with multiple new signings. Ex-Reds captain Katie Zelem and Australian defender Alanna Kennedy were two late arrivals, both from Angel City, with Danielle van de Donk and Nikita Parris among the earlier signings. Opponents Arsenal have their own big-name recruit, however, with Canadian forward Olivia Smith making a world-record £1m switch from Liverpool in July to join Renee Slegers’ Champions League holders.

The quartet of Sunday fixtures all kick off at 12pm. At Broadfield Stadium in West Sussex, Brighton face Aston Villa. Michelle Agyemang is back on loan with the Seagulls from Arsenal, hot on the heels of being named Young Player of the Tournament at the Euros as England lifted the trophy. As for Natalia Arroyo’s Villans, they’ll be out to continue their superb end to 2024/25, when they won their last five WSL games.

Everton’srecentrecord againstLiverpoolat Anfieldshouldgive themrealbelieftoday

At Anfield at the same time, there’s the small matter of Liverpool v Everton. The hosts saw former Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor take charge this summer, and while they’ll be favourites to get the win, Everton’s recent record against their rivals at Anfield should give them real belief: they have won there 2-0, 1-0 and 3-0 in the past three seasons. And it’s an exciting time for the Toffees, as they get set to begin life in their new home of Goodison Park. And finally at 12pm, there’s another derby game: Tottenham v West Ham at Brisbane Road. Under the stewardship of new boss – and former assistant manager here at United – Martin Ho, can Spurs improve on last season’s disappointing 11th-place finish? An opening day win against Rehanne Skinner’s Hammers would make for the ideal start.

WSL

ADDED-TIME QUIZ

CAN YOU GET FULL MARKS IN OUR FIRST TEST OF ’25/26?

1

Which forward scored our first WSL goal at LSV last season, in a 3-0 win over Tottenham?

2 Leicester are nicknamed the Foxes, but which of United’s former WSL opponents were previously known as the Vixens?

3

Aside from Anna Sandberg and summer arrivals Julia Zigiotti Olme and Fridolina Rolfo, who is the only other Swede (pictured below) to play for us?

4

5

Rolfo has inherited the no.12 shirt from which midfielder?

How many goals did Ella Toone score for England at Euro 2025?

6 Which former Reds loanee netted at the tournament for Denmark?

7

United will face London City Lionesses (including a United legend, below) in the WSL for the

first time this season, after they broke away from which of our Championship opponents in 2018/19 to form a new team?

8 In which year did the Reds last lose an FA Cup tie away from Wembley?

9

Who has made more WSL appearances for United: Leah Galton or Millie Turner?

10 How many players made their competitive debuts for the Reds last season: 8, 9 or 10?

25/26 THIRD JERSEY

MANCHESTER UNITED WOMEN

Head coach Marc Skinner

Kayla Rendell (GK)

Anna Sandberg

Gabby George

Maya Le Tissier

Hannah Blundell

Ella Toone

Grace Clinton

Melvine Malard

Elisabeth Terland

Leah Galton

Fridolina Rolfo

Simi Awujo

Jayde Riviere

Celin Bizet Donnum

Lisa Naalsund

Dominique Janssen

Julia Zigiotti Olme

Hinata Miyazawa

Millie Turner

Rachel Williams

Mared Griffiths

Safia Middleton-Patel (GK)

Tamira Livingston

Jessica Anderson

Sienna Wareing

Scarlett Hill

Phallon Tullis-Joyce (GK)

LEICESTER CITY WOMEN

Interim head coach Rick Passmoor

Janina Leitzig (GK)

Sari Kees

Sam Tierney

Celeste Boureille

Missy Goodwin

Jutta Rantala

Noemie Mouchon

Shana Chossenotte

Janice Cayman

Asmita Ale

Olivia Clark (GK)

Hlin Eiriksdottir

Heather Payne

Katie Keane (GK)

Julie Thibaud

Denny Draper

Hannah Cain

Nelly Las

Simone Sherwood

Shannon O’Brien

Chantelle Swaby

(Squad lists correct at time of print and squad numbers were subject to change until closure of the transfer window on Thursday 4 September)

Referee Grace Lowe Assistants Magdalena Golba, Jon Ashworth-Sears Fourth official Ruby Sykes