Eva Olid was named as the new Man United Women’s head coach in August ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, replacing long-standing boss Marc Skinner.
Skinner shaped United into a consistently competitive side in the Barclays Women’s Super League. In five seasons, the 43-year-old led the Red Devils to European qualification, a second-place finish in 2022/23, the FA Cup title in 2024 and three further domestic cup finals.
Ultimately, Skinner became frustrated with the club’s new approach to squad development, focused on bringing through younger players rather than investing in external transfers. The change of direction under the INEOS owners since 2024 has also led to less investment in the women’s team, contributing to the 43-year-old’s departure by mutual consent.
Olid quickly emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Skinner. The United hierarchy saw potential in Olid’s impressive spell at Hearts, where she led the club from a bottom-of-the-table finish in 2021 to the Scottish Premiership title in 2025/26.
The 40-year-old coach also showcased tactical qualities that can help United to maintain a competitive edge in the BWSL without changing their footballing style. Moreover, Olid’s experience working within budgetary constraints to develop a talented squad could provide an ideal long-term fit.
Olid & Skinner’s Tactics - No Big Shift for Man United
Throughout Skinner’s tenure, Man United were a high-energy side and had impressive attacking output leading to goals. Skinner encouraged risks in attack, but balanced this with a sound, rigid defensive structure, set up for counter-attacking through quick transitions.
His reasoning for the high-intensity style was to pressurise opponents, which created an imposing presence. After a strong start to the 2024/25 season, Skinner outlined his philosophy to Sky Sports and said, “My style is not to let anybody take advantage, on or off the field - you have to stamp your authority.
"It's about trapping the opponent, identifying the weak point and getting after it. We all know that winning the ball high means you've got less work to do to score.”
This direction led to impressive goal difference records in the WSL since 2021. Across the past five seasons, Skinner’s Man United recorded +10 or more in their end-of-season goal differences.
Olid also likes her team to play with attacking intensity and strikes a balance between defensive solidity and ruthlessness in the final third.
However, it’s less of a counter-attacking approach and more proactive. The Spanish coach encourages counter-pressing and greater pressure on the opposition in key areas to win the ball back.
When possession is regained, Olid likes her side to focus on quick, one-touch passing in more central areas, which could suit United’s more technically gifted players like Ella Toone and Jess Park.
Per Opta, Olid’s Hearts team ranked first in the Scottish Women’s Premiership for direct attacks and second for shots from fast breaks, hinting that a more direct approach could unfold at United this season.
Similarly to Skinner’s United, Hearts also had a positive goal difference in their past two campaigns. In Hearts’ title-winning campaign in 2025/26, they ended the regular season with a +44 goal difference and recorded +54 in the top six stage - evidence of Olid’s front-foot football vision in action.
Player Development & Working Within a Budget
Olid has already emphasised the importance of utilising Man United’s Academy to create a squad for future competition. The club have also put faith in their academy, as the women’s under-21 side started using the facilities at Carrington Training Complex this season.
In one of her first interviews at Man United, Olid was clear that the academy is the future of the team and said, “When they are growing, you have a big influence on them, and I think it's so important we start soon in the Academy.
“We can transmit that philosophy, style of play, and yeah, they can be in the club and grow with us.”
The 40-year-old’s emphasis on player development is linked to her background in primary school education. Olid completed undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in this field from the University of Barcelona.
Her practical evidence of growing young players was also clear at Hearts. 18-year-olds Erin and Jess Husband, 21-year-old Kayla Jardine and 22-year-old Bayley Hutchison were some of the star performers at Hearts over the last two seasons.
Whether there will be enough quality for Olid to nurture from the Man United academy remains to be seen ahead of 2026/27. In addition, it’s unlikely she will be supported with any significant budget to bring in new talent, considering INEOS’ focus on prioritising the Man United men’s team over the women’s.
In the immediate future, Olid is likely to hand BWSL playing time to some of Man United’s prospects with first-team experience from 2025/26, including Evie Mitchell, Layla Drury and Jessica Anderson, who travelled with the senior squad for the pre-season visit to La Manga.
Olid is a Smart Appointment, But Questions Remain
Man United have the long-term in mind for Olid’s appointment. A fresh approach with new ideas and small adjustments to tactical style means United are still expected to play an exciting, high-tempo brand of football, as they did under Skinner.
Translating success from a comparatively low-profile club in Hearts to a competitive BWSL team in Man United is likely to cause some amount of pressure, and patience will be key as the 40-year-old implements her own footballing philosophies following on from Skinner’s success.
However, Olid’s biggest test may come from off-the-pitch issues and investment. The former Hearts boss will be used to working with a constrained budget, but issues may arise with United’s eagerness to sell off their top players to competitors in the future.
This summer, the club sold one of last season’s top performers, Melvine Malard, to BWSL rivals Chelsea for a reported £850,000 fee. This follows a similar pattern of Alessia Russo’s sale to Arsenal in 2023, Mary Earps to PSG and Ona Battle to Barcelona.
Keeping experienced, proven quality BWSL players like Ella Toone, Maya Le Tissier and Jess Park and the goalscoring talent of Lea Schüller will be vital for Olid as she can build around this core of players.
Olid has proven that she has an eye for talent, a positive sign for the young players coming through United’s academy, and blending this future quality with existing experience is likely to shape the Red Devils over the coming seasons.
However, the Spanish coach will require time in the United hot seat and a season of transition is likely in 2026/27.
