Manchester United have signed versatile defender Aoife Mannion ahead of the new WSL season and give the 25-year-old a contract until 2023 after her departure from Manchester City.
United have lost senior defender Amy Turner this summer and chose not to renew their contract with English international Abbie McManus, but the arrival of Mannion in addition to the four-time WSL-winning defender Hannah Blundell will give the backline a new look in 2021/22.
Mannion began her career with Birmingham as an 18-year-old before playing an important part of the Blues side that impressively finished fourth in 2018/19. Her form brought her to City’s attention, but an ACL injury shortly after arrival stopped her progress.
Once she’s done, she’s going to join last summer’s Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood in arriving at City.
“I’m happy to join Manchester United,” she told the club’s official website.
“It’s a new chapter for me in my career and I’m just looking forward to working as hard as I can for this club. European football is obviously a big ambition here and would be the next step for the club, so breaking into the Champions League with this team would be fantastic.
I’ve also heard a lot about the fans and how passionate they are, and I can not wait to hear them all at the arena next season. ”
Mannion is United’s fourth new signing of the summer after Norwegian midfielder Vilde Boe Risa, former Bristol City goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley and the aforementioned Blundell.
An announcement about the appointment of Marc Skinner as manager is also expected soon, especially Mannion has previously worked under him in Birmingham.
For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!
