Marc Skinner provides big injury boost ahead of historic final

Manchester United Women will face Chelsea in the final of the League Cup this Sunday afternoon.

The Red Devils will be looking to make history, as they have never won the trophy before.

Ahead of the game, both head coach Marc Skinner and captain Maya Le Tissier spoke to the media in a press conference .

Asked about Fridolina Rolfö playing for Sweden during the international break, Skinner answered, “yeah, for sure. Frido’s back, so she’ll be back in contention. Going in order—Tooney (Ella Toone) has been back on the training field. We still don’t have a definitive timeline, but we’re looking at around the back end of this window.”

He continued, “hopefully Tooney can be back before the Tottenham Hotspur game, but it could be earlier. It really depends on how she progresses. Jade Rivière is back as well, so she’s available again. She missed the Chelsea game before. Anna Sandberg is probably more likely to return around the Tottenham Hotspur game after the window.”

Miyazawa is currently playing for Japan in the Asia Cup, where she scored a hat-trick for her side in a stunning display.

In terms of when she could return if Japan make it to the final, Skinner replied, “from what I’ve seen, she’s actually played a little bit less in terms of minutes because Japan have been able to get through the groups well. They’ve been doing excellently. From our perspective, the aim is to try to get her back for the Bayern games and the City games, but we’ll do it safely. After that, we’ll look to create a space where Hinata can get some rest and recovery.”

Skinner also expressed his frustration that the game is scheduled at 14:15 GMT on Sunday, with the men’s match versus Aston Villa kicking off just 15 minutes earlier.

He stated, “it is frustrating, but I think it’s the circumstances rather than anyone’s fault. I know everyone involved would want to be able to watch both games. From our perspective, it’s tough, but I’m led to believe that with Aston Villa being in the Europa League and the distance between games, both leagues—the Premier League and the WSL—tried to move it. They just hit roadblocks everywhere.”

The manager was then asked about United’s aim to become just the fourth different team to win the League Cup.

Skinner explained, “we know how difficult it is, but we’re not going into this final to be second best. We have to go into it trying to win the cup. That’s why you’re at Manchester United . There’s difficulty in that challenge, but that’s what we’re here for.”

He also added that finals come down to spirit and belief more than anything, and that “it’s about that ingrained spirit and belief that when the big moments come, we step up.”

The manager also touched on how his squad of players is learning all the time how to deal with a congested fixture list owing to their various league, cup, and European commitments.

The United captain was also asked about her thoughts on the opponents for the final, Chelsea.

Referencing the side’s last game, a 1-2 extra-time loss to the Blues in the FA Cup, she asserted, “you can see how small the margins are. We had a lot of chances that we need to take—that’s on us as players. We need to take those chances and stop the ball going in our own net. The gap is getting smaller and smaller. A lot of the time we feel like we’re in the game, and sometimes we even have more possession. It’s about what we do with the ball.”

Le Tissier also touched on how much stronger the depth of the squad is now in comparison to when she joined the team four years ago.

She added her final thoughts on the game by stating, “it sounds cliché, but it’s just the next game. We make sure we’re prepared. The international break finished recently, so we’ve had a bit more preparation time than usual. It’s been good getting back with the club.”

Featured image Aitor Alcalde via Getty Images

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