Analysing Manchester United’s worker bees

The worker bee has become the symbol of Manchester and its industrial past. And it’s most certainly emblematic of the city’s representative in this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League. Although Manchester United is one of the biggest and best known clubs in world football, its women’s team is still comparatively young. Since being re-formed in 2018, the Red Debils have worked their way up to the top of women’s football in England, but they are still yet to make their mark in Europe. The team now standing in their way are FC Bayern Women, with their quarter-final tie starting at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Here’s the lowdown on our opponents…

A long-awaited rebirth

Officially there has only been a women’s team at Manchester United since 2018, but that isn’t the whole story. There were unofficial teams since the 1970s, such as Manchester United Supporters Club Ladies. They were later unofficially recognised as the club’s senior women’s team and were founding members of the North West Women’s Regional Football League. Playing then as Manchester United Ladies FC, they became increasingly competitive at various levels.

The team formed an official partnership with the club in 2001, which was a step of considerable symbolic significance. However, they were then disbanded in 2005 after new owners deemed women’s football unprofitable. It would be another 13 years before Man United once again welcomed women’s football.

Rapid rise

Starting out in English football’s second tier, United were quick out the blocks and won the title and promotion to the Women’s Super League in their first season. Their very first fixture at the top table attracted a crowd of 31,000 to watch the derby against Manchester City – a record attendance for women’s football in England at the time.

Although beaten 1-0 on their WSL debut, United have steadily established themselves as one of the country’s top teams. After a string of top-four finishes, they recorded their best position in 2023 by coming second. Their first and so far only major silverware was the 2024 Women’s FA Cup, beating Tottenham Hotspur 4-0.

European novices

Their arrival in the Women’s Champions League for this season underlines that impressive progress of recent years. Having missed out in the qualifiers to Paris Saint-Germain in 2023, Marc Skinner’s team have now advanced to the last eight in their maiden campaign in the competition.

Reaching the quarter-finals isn’t just an important sporting milestone but also a historic moment for the club, with United the only remaining team in the competition that had never been in the Champions League’s last eight.

A lost final and unbeaten run

Recent results for the Red Devils have been mixed, including back-to-back eliminations at the hands of Chelsea, going out 2-1 in the FA Cup and then losing the final of the Women’s League Cup 2-0.

Their record in the WSL has been far more impressive, though. United haven’t lost in the league since November and sit second in the table on 38 points behind Man City. A last-minute goal from Melvine Malard earned a 2-1 win over Everton at the weekend. Captain Maya Le Tissier’s side progressed to the last eight in Europe thanks to 3-0 and 2-0 victories over Atlético Madrid in the play-offs, having finished the league phase in sixth place.

Familiar faces

These two legs in Manchester and Munich will see a number of reunions, the most poignant being with Lea Schüller, who made the move from Bavaria to England’s northwest during the winter break.

Swedish duo Fridolina Rolfö and Julia Zigiotti Olme are also ex-Bayern players on United’s books. The former played in Munich from 2017 to 2019, while the latter was part of last season’s double-winning team. Leah Galton had a brief spell at Bayern in 2018.

Ones to watch

The United squad includes several other big names from across the European game. Captain Le Tissier, Jess Park and Ella Toone all won last summer’s Euros alongside Georgia Stanway. Like Bayern’s midfielder, Toone is in fact a two-time winner, having scored in the 2022 final against Germany. She is United’s record appearance holder and is one of the WSL’s top providers this season with five assists.

Park, Malard and Norway’s Elisabeth Terland all have six goals to their name in the league. Malard and Rolfö are their leading scores in the Champions League with three goals apiece.

🏟️💫 Over 15,000 tickets have been sold for the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United at the Allianz Arena – get yours now!