‘No greater advert for women’s football’ – Zelem on Manchester United’s Old Trafford return | OneFootball

Manchester United captain Katie Zelem says that there is no greater advert for women’s football than hosting a game at a stadium like Old Trafford.

The Red Devils will walk out at ‘The Theatre of Dreams’ for the first time this season when they take on Aston Villa in their latest Barclays Women’s Super League fixture on Saturday.

When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Manchester United fan Zelem said that the team are looking forward to their Old Trafford return while recent good performances should help to encourage fans to come out in huge numbers.

“Being from Manchester, supporting Manchester United, it is amazing to play at Old Trafford,” she said. “It is one of best stadiums in world football so we are all excited for that. There’s no greater advert for women’s football than playing at a big stadium with a great atmosphere.

“Our past performances and results should hopefully encourage fans to come and watch. Especially after the Arsenal game, we’ve shown what we are all about and shown the kind of performance that we can put on.

“We are hoping to see as many fans there as possible.”

Zelem scored in Manchester United last appearance at Old Trafford. She netted from the penalty spot as The Red Devils defeated Everton 3-1. The experience of finding the back of the net at one of the world’s most iconic football stadiums is still sinking in now for the midfielder.

She said “Before it happened, it was something that I could never have dreamed of, let alone captaining Manchester United and walking the girls out at Old Trafford. Managing to score there was really a dream come true and when I watch the clips back now, it still feels so surreal. The game against Everton didn’t start as planned but it finished really positively which was good.

“For me sitting here, it is every Manchester United fan’s dream and playing at Old Trafford is the same.”

Manchester United’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Aston Villa kicks-off at 12.30pm on Saturday afternoon. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.