Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner has said the club have made “mistakes” since the formation of the women’s team six years ago.

A report published by The Athletic this week suggested that the Red Devils lack organisation behind the scenes, which some say contributed to Alessia Russo’s decision to depart on a free transfer to Arsenal. Asked to comment on whether the club is poorly run, Skinner replied:

“Do you know what I think it has been? A team that’s six years old and is growing into what it’s wanting to be. Almost every new start-up company will have teething problems.”

“You will have things that are fantastic, things that grow and help you. Obviously, it seems we don’t report the nice things. There’s lots of brilliant things about what we’re doing.”

“It’s really clear that if you make mistakes, you want to learn from them and grow. But it is to be expected because we’re new. With Ineos coming in, it’s a fantastic opportunity to help us do that.”

Skinner seems to be on borrowed time

Banners have been seen at recent United games calling for the current manager to be sacked. Following a title challenge last season, Skinner’s team currently find themselves 12 points adrift of league leaders Chelsea.

They are still 4th in the table but many fans feel the club is going in the wrong direction under Skinner’s management.

With INEOS having taken over the football operations, many feel it is time for a clean slate but it remains to be seen whether the new minority owners will decide to dispense with Skinner’s services.

United have some big fixtures coming up

The club’s only realistic chance of silverware this season is the Women’s FA Cup, and they take on Brighton in the quarter-final this Saturday.

After they face the Seagulls, United take on Bristol City before they play the Manchester derby later this month.