- Manchester United Women under Marc Skinner have regressed in 2025/26
- Club criticised after banning The Athletic from asking questions after 0-0 Spurs draw
- INEOS failed to learn from same fate that befell Erik ten Hag
History has a frustrating habit of repeating itself at Manchester United sometimes. Right now, the parallels of this are the managerial decisions made by INEOS between the men’s and women’s teams.
The first big decision that INEOS had to make at Old Trafford was whether to sack or to keep Erik ten Hag after his FA Cup trophy win in May 2024. Despite interviewing other managers for the role, INEOS officials u-turned and instead triggered the Dutchman’s contract for a further year.
Ultimately, it was a massive blunder as ten Hag was sacked five months later. That poor decision cost the club £14.5m in compensation in the midst of cost-cutting measures elsewhere.
Now, INEOS risk replicating that exact disaster with Man United Women (MUW) boss Marc Skinner. By handing him a contract extension last summer based on a solitary Champions League qualification, the hierarchy has backed themselves into a corner, and the walls are closing in.
Skinner Under Pressure after Season Collapses
Questions have been asked regarding the depth of the Manchester United Women’s squad all season. A primary reason for their second-half collapse is a limited squad stretched thin by injuries and fatigue. This has left Marc Skinner in an incredibly vulnerable position, only months after he signed a new contract extending to June 2027.
The 2025/26 season has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. A defeat in the League Cup final, coupled with an early FA Cup exit at the hands of Chelsea, ended any hopes of securing domestic silverware. While Skinner’s side arguably overachieved by reaching the Champions League quarter-finals before being eliminated by Atletico Madrid, their league form has faltered in 2026.
Title aspirations have vanished despite a promising start to the campaign. The team currently sits in third place, ten points adrift of leaders Manchester City and only one point ahead of Arsenal. Crucially, the Gunners have three games in hand with only six matches remaining for United. Unlike the men’s team, their European destiny is no longer in their own hands.
The tension reached a peak following a detailed assessment of the club by journalist Megan Feringa in early April. Begrudingly, the club banned The Athletic from asking the United head coach any questions after yesterday’s (26 April) goalless draw against Spurs. The story was described as “overly negative” by the club’s press office, drawing criticism from the media.
Lessons Were Not Learnt after Ten Hag
Following the turgid 0-0 draw against Spurs, INEOS find themselves trapped in a cycle of their own making. By failing to act decisively last summer, they are proving that they have learnt absolutely nothing from the Erik ten Hag debacle.
Despite MUW managing just one win in their past eight games, Skinner has continued to receive blind and undeserved protection from club officials. This previous hesitation with the men’s team cost the club millions and months of wasted time, yet the hierarchy has allowed the exact same rot to set into the women’s setup.
This lack of ruthlessness sends a worrying signal to fans of the men’s team as they prepare for a monumental decision regarding Michael Carrick’s future. If the board continues to back an underperforming Skinner despite a clear collapse in results and a breakdown in media relations, it confirms that the women’s team is merely an afterthought.
Regardless, INEOS have created a lose-lose situation where any action now feels like a desperate attempt to fix a crisis they should have seen coming.
