Skinner highlights Manchester United’s togetherness ahead of West Ham United clash | OneFootball

Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner says that there is a togetherness about his team going into the new season and that everyone is pulling in the same direction.

The Red Devils kick-off the 2024/2025 campaign with a fixture against West Ham United at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester United have been busy in the transfer market over the summer, bringing in a combination of hungry young players and experienced professionals. When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Manchester United boss Skinner said that he is pleased with the energy shown by his squad and that there’s a togetherness in the group.

“What I’ve seen in pre-season is a fresh commitment, energy, adaptable skills and more physicality,” Skinner said. “I felt in some of the big games [last season], we lacked a bit of physicality that the other teams had and at times, we could get overran and we had to be effective with last-ditch defending.

“When you bring in new players, it re-energises the group, so it adds that psychological energy too.

“Above all, I feel like we are together like we were in my first season and second season. It feels like we are all pushing in the same direction.”

Manchester United’s last Old Trafford appearance saw them thumped 6-0 by Chelsea in a game where they were outmuscled by The Blues. Skinner went on to discuss how The Red Devils have been able to improve their own physicality going into the new season.

He said “It was always there, we had some physicality but it was about partnering with the right relationships. What I felt at the time was that we could build-up brilliantly but if we got transitioned on in parts of the game, they’re harder to control. When your partner makes a bad pass, you are open to a transition. What we’ve done this season is we’ve got players that react better to those uncontrollable situations.”

This weekend’s opponents West Ham United are a team that are very much still in the building phase but Skinner is aware of their individual talents and knows that any team can be successful on the day.

He said “Rehanne [Skinner] is finally piecing together the team that she wants. She has evolved the style, she did that last season, and I’m sure she will want more results from that style.

“They possess a lot more but they do have that individual brilliance; they have Viv [Asseyi], [Riko] Ueki that both have the ability to hold up, rotate and take a chance.

“They are going to be a danger from set-pieces, a danger on the counter-attack but they also have the ability to build.

“What I’m excited about is the challenge of the league, the league has got better. West Ham have made quite a few signings, so there are lots of different players coming into the league, it gives it a fresh feel. I believe that there’s going to be a lot more of the upsets this season throughout all of the games because everyone’s got better. I think they’ll be difficult to play but we have to be at our best.”

Manchester United’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against West Ham United kicks-off at 12pm on Saturday afternoon. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.