Eva Olid Takes Charge of Manchester United Women’s Team
Manchester United have handed the keys of their women’s team to Eva Olid, betting on a bold, attack-minded coach with a clear track record of developing players and transforming clubs.
The 40-year-old Spaniard has signed a two-year deal, with an option for a further 12 months, stepping into the role vacated by Marc Skinner, who left by mutual consent on Monday – barely a month before the new Women’s Super League season.
United wanted a builder as much as a winner. They believe they have both.
From virtual unknown to title challenger
When Olid arrived at Hearts five years ago, she slipped into Edinburgh almost unnoticed. Hearts were not a traditional heavyweight in Scottish women’s football; they were, at best, outsiders looking in.
By the time she walked away in May, they were on top of the Scottish Women’s Premier League.
She had just delivered the club’s first major silverware and taken them to a first domestic final, losing the 2024 Scottish Cup to Rangers but firmly changing the club’s expectations of itself. Hearts, once a bystander, had become a problem for everyone else.
Olid did it her way. Full-throttle. Her Hearts side were built on a front-foot 3-4-3, the goalkeeper effectively a fourth defender, the starting point of every attack. They didn’t just score; they overwhelmed. Hearts finished as top scorers in the SWPL last season with 85 goals. Only Rangers, with 80, got remotely close.
For United’s forwards – Ella Toone, Lea Schüller and Elisabeth Terland – that statistic will jump off the page. Under Olid, chances tend to come in waves.
A coach who learns, and adapts
Olid’s work in Scotland was not just about attacking flair. She showed she could pivot when the occasion demanded.
Across her first four seasons, Hearts could not find a way past Glasgow City. The block became psychological as much as tactical. So in April, with the title race on the line, Olid ripped up her usual approach and went pragmatic. She set Hearts up to defend deep, frustrate, and counter.
They won 1-0. They went top. And in the glow of that breakthrough victory, Olid revealed her intention to leave, insisting she could not go without finally beating City at least once.
That game told United something important: this is not a coach chained to a philosophy. She has a philosophy – but she also has a Plan B.
“A dream come true” – and a clear brief
“The opportunity to become head coach of Manchester United Women is a dream come true,” Olid said after the announcement. She spoke of the talent already in the squad and her excitement at helping players reach their “immense potential”.
That line matters. Sources inside United had made it clear that Skinner’s successor had to be a developer of players, not just a tactician with a glossy CV. The club’s direction has been set: youth, progression, and individual improvement week after week.
Matt Johnson, United’s director of women’s football, spelled it out. Olid, he said, is “the perfect coach to lead us into an exciting new era” and shares the club’s commitment to nurturing “exciting homegrown and young players”.
Her record backs that up. At Hearts she pushed young talent into the spotlight, including the Husband twins, Erin and Jess, who both debuted at 15 under her watch. She also spent time working with the Scotland women’s national team, sharpening her understanding of elite environments and young international prospects.
Former Hearts captain Georgia Hunter, who left for Ipswich this summer, was unequivocal about Olid’s impact. “She’s a great manager, very, very good. I learnt so much,” she told BBC Sport, calling the transformation she led at Hearts “absolutely amazing”.
A swift move, a sharp spotlight
United wasted no time. With the recruitment process already advanced before Skinner’s exit, Olid’s contract was signed within 24 hours of his departure. For a club often accused of dragging its feet in the women’s game, this was decisive.
That urgency, though, comes with pressure. Skinner’s exit stirred familiar questions about United’s ambition for their women’s side. Are they serious contenders, or simply participants? Olid will feel that scrutiny from day one.
She arrives untested in the WSL and in European competition. Her success in the Scottish game – and her popularity at Hearts – offers a compelling case, but the weekly demands at United are unforgiving. The margin for error is thinner. The noise is louder.
BBC Sport Scotland’s Amy Canavan wasn’t surprised by the move. “We were convinced she had somewhere special to go,” she said. “She 100% deserves this chance and is ready for it.” The WSL will now deliver its own verdict.
Four weeks to shape a team
Time is short. United open their WSL campaign away to London City Lionesses on 4 September – four weeks on Friday. Between now and then, Olid must do three things at speed.
- First, galvanise a depleted squad that has endured a turbulent summer.
- Second, embed her ideas without overloading a group still adjusting to a new voice and a new intensity.
- Third, clear a path for young players, in line with the club’s stated vision.
Her Spanish roots and attacking instincts suggest United will look different, perhaps braver, with the ball. The challenge will be to marry that ambition with the resilience required in a league where one bad week can derail a season.
The fixture at London City Lionesses will not define Olid’s reign, but it will offer a sharp early snapshot: is this a team still searching for itself, or one already starting to move to the rhythm of a new manager?
