Melvine Malard’s impact underlines how Manchester United have evolved on European stage
· Yahoo Sports
There were two defenders beginning to close in on her, goalkeeper Lola Gallardo in her way, team-mates Elisabeth Terland and Ellen Wangerheim arriving in the box, and a devilish angle to beat. None of that mattered to Melvine Malard as she fired a superb strike across Gallardo that nestled in the bottom corner.
Malard had already notched one assist against Atletico Madrid, seizing on a poor pass to pull off a clever dummy shot and slide the ball through to striker Terland. The Norwegian’s smart footwork and finish gave Manchester United the lead with less than three minutes played. Malard finished the game with another assist, holding up the ball under pressure from defender Lauren to tee up Julia Zigiotti Olme’s goal in the 81st minute.
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The Frenchwoman marked her first-half goal with her customary celebration, pointing to both temples — the same pose she pulled after scoring Manchester United’s first ever goal in the women’s Champions League in 2023. That point-blank header, which ultimately was not enough for United to overcome Paris Saint-Germain in qualifying for the Champions League proper, pales in comparison to her latest goal.
“Honestly, (she’s developed) so much,” head coach Marc Skinner said when reflecting on Malard’s growth since arriving at the club in 2023. “She’s had to fight hard.
“She has the ability to play in any of those front three positions which I think is really unique. The quality of the finish today, we know Mel has that. She had to wait a while for that to happen again but I’m really pleased with the contributions, all around the form she has. She’s ruthless in the end as well.
“I think she’s coming to fruition.”
Malard is emblematic of a Manchester United side who are finally growing into their potential on the European stage.
The 25-year-old’s comprehensive attacking performance fired United to a 3-0 victory in Spain, taking a heavy advantage back to Leigh Sports Village for the second leg of this playoff. In their first season in the Champions League proper, United are poised to progress to the quarter-finals, where they would meet Bayern Munich.
It is an impressive turnaround from their failure to finish in the top three of the Women’s Super League in 2024, missing out on even the European qualifying rounds. Questions have been asked of the club’s commitment to the women’s team, which was only formed in 2018, and their recruitment and squad-building has sometimes been criticised.
The journey has not been linear, but Skinner looks to have assembled a side capable of competing on the biggest stage. Some of the young players that United have invested in over the past three seasons are now senior professionals in their peak years. Malard is just one example: in her debut season on loan from Lyon in 2023-24, she was not a consistent starter but showed enough promise for the club to agree a permanent deal. She is now almost ever-present in the forward line and has recorded her highest goal and assist tally for United in the WSL with seven games remaining.
Jayde Riviere is another example of where United’s long-term investment in youth has paid off. Against PSG, in only her second appearance for United, the full-back was run ragged by Sakina Karchaoui. Against Atletico, she showed off her defensive prowess as well as making threatening forays forward, stinging the keeper’s palms early in the second half and skewing a solo effort just wide on the hour mark after winning the ball in midfield. Hinata Miyazawa, another 2023 signing who came off the bench against PSG, has started all of United’s 25 domestic and European fixtures this season and is the engine of their midfield.
The fact Riviere, Miyazawa, goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, and captain Maya Le Tissier have all also signed contract extensions in the past two years provides welcome peace of mind. There is a cohesive, well-bonded core of players who are now, crucially, backed with meaningful depth. United’s squad began to show the strains of European and domestic competition in November, with a gruelling win over PSG coming between WSL defeats to Aston Villa and Manchester City. Losses to Champions League stalwarts Wolfsburg and Lyon followed, and Skinner was clear in his calls for United to be “aggressive” in the window.
In January there was the arrival of forwards Lea Schuller from Bayern Munich and Ellen Wangerheim from Hammarby, as well as the full-back Hanna Lundkvist whose contract with San Diego Wave ended. Wangerheim was able to deputise for injured summer signing Fridolina Rolfo against Atletico and while Schuller and Lundkvist did not feature in Spain, both started the previous fixture against Leicester City — allowing Terland and Riviere valuable rest.
“(The January signings) have added the quality that we can turn to on the bench when we need to change games, or when they need to start and we need to adapt it,” Skinner said in a press conference on Wednesday. “You’ve seen that in the games so far. We’ve had ten goals or involvements from substitute appearances (in the WSL, the highest number) so it shows a lot about how our players are ready to come into the game to change it.”
Their squad-building is not perfect. Lucia Garcia, Grace Clinton, Geyse, and Irene Guerrero are among signings from 2022 or 2023 who have ended up leaving the club for various reasons. Some supporters are also concerned about the lack of academy products progressing to the first team. The fact captain Maya Le Tissier has started every WSL game since she joined the club is testament to her durability, but also points to a lack of depth at centre-back.
On the whole, though, a United side whose journey has so often been marked by headlines about off-pitch matters are now doing their talking on it — and telling a compelling story of a side making themselves at home on the European stage.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Manchester United, Women's Soccer
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