Marc Skinner has left his role as Manchester United Women's head coach after five years, ending a tenure marked by both notable achievements and persistent criticism. The 43-year-old wanted a promising Champions League run to prompt further squad investment, but the club decided that current transfer market spending levels were unsustainable and opted instead to prioritise developing young, homegrown players, making his departure all but inevitable once that disagreement became clear.

Skinner was the longest-serving manager in the Women's Super League, yet also one of the most criticised online, dividing opinion partly due to his lengthy, detailed press conference answers, which some saw as transparent and others found frustratingly indirect. Despite operating with roughly a third of Chelsea's playing budget and about half of Arsenal's, he guided United to a strong second-place league finish in 2022-23 and won the club's first major women's trophy, the Women's FA Cup, in 2025, alongside reaching four domestic cup finals overall.