by Marc Skinner welcomes the return of “good person” Mary Earps to Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday.
United’s women are playing at Old Trafford for the first time in the competition but the focus will be on the figure in the Paris St Germain goal as the fallout from the publication of her autobiography continues.
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Earps finds herself in the firing line after criticizing England coach Sarina Wiegman and her successor as the Lionesses’ number one, Hannah Hampton, in the book.
Marc Skinner speaks at a press conference on Tuesday (Martin Rickett/PA)
Skinner knows Earps well, having managed her for three years at United, and he said: “Me and Mary have always had a good relationship. So I’ll only say good things.”
“I haven’t read the book. I don’t know anything about it – I hear snippets of course. I’m always one of those people who thinks you have to be careful what you say, but Mary believes in it. So this is her truth, she has to speak it.”
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“From our perspective, we will welcome her as someone who is part of the opposing team in this game. But we will also always pay tribute to her for what she did when she was at Manchester United.”
“I know Mary is a good person, so I look forward to the challenge of beating her and her team this Wednesday night.”
Earps also writes in the book about her decision to leave Manchester United last summer after her contract expired, citing a lack of urgency from Skinner and the club to tie her down to a new contract.
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“There are moments where she talks about the urgency, but also the club will have their own view and opinion on it,” Skinner added.
Skinner does not believe the Earps controversy will overshadow the event as United face a critical week that also includes a Manchester derby in the Women’s Super League.
Defending champions Arsenal’s preparation for their game against Bayern Munich has been hit by news. Defender Katie Reid suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training and will miss the rest of the season.
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Katie Reid suffered a season-ending knee injury in training (John Walton/PA)
Teenager Reid is the seventh player this season to suffer an ACL injury and head coach Renee Slegers said further research was needed before women’s football could address the issue.
Slegers, who confirmed she has no further new injury concerns, said at a press conference: “It’s hard because it’s just a small moment and then you’re out for nine to 12 months.”
“It impacts a player’s career. Anything we can do on a larger scale, so research, understanding, I think that’s where it all starts.”
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“If we need to understand more and research more, because the game is growing so quickly and so many things are changing, we need to grow with that change, and I think that’s the starting point.”
