Grace Clinton not leaving Manchester United, says Skinner | OneFootball

Grace Clinton in action for Manchester United Women (Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)

Manchester United manager Marc Skinner has dismissed the idea that England’s Grace Clinton will leave the club.

News reports have linked the midfielder with a move across the city to rivals Manchester City before the closure of the transfer window on Thursday, September 4th.

However, in his press conference ahead of United’s UEFA Women’s Champions League qualification match against PSV, Skinner rejected the suggestion that a move for the 22-year-old is imminent.

“Right now, I’ve not been told anything of the sorts,” he said to journalists.

“I’m sure there are people interested in Grace, because she’s a fantastic footballer, but the reality is, the club have not told me anything of that. As I am now, I am preparing for Champions League tomorrow and Grace is is progressing nicely to being part of our squad going forwards.”

Skinner added that Clinton was likely to miss out on the Champions League match due to injury, which he described as a “niggle” after her time with England during the Women’s Euros over the summer.

United will also be without new signing Fridolina Rolfo, Rachel Williams, and Leah Galton, although the coach was hopeful that all would be available within the next month.

Clinton’s career at Manchester United

Clinton’s contract with United expires next year. She currently has 16 full caps and three goals for England, having broken through into the United first team in the 2024-25 season, despite signing for them from Everton back in 2022.

She spent 2022-23 on loan at Bristol City, and 2023-24 on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, who were heavily linked with signing her permanently.

But Skinner shrugged off that idea, saying at the time: “All I hear in conversation is that Tottenham want to keep Grace – of course they would want to keep Grace, she’s a fantastic player.”

He added: “We brought her to Manchester United, we gave her six months, we sent her out on loan at Bristol (City), she got experience, she then went on loan at Tottenham to get more experience.

“I don’t think people recognise that there’s a plan for each individual that we bring into the club. With Grace, it’s absolutely worked, and for me, I want to bring her back to the club and I want her to be part of what we’re doing, because I think she has a huge say in how we’ll play in the future.”

Clinton had also been linked with Arsenal earlier in the summer, where she would have the opportunity to join up with Lionesses team-mates Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Leah Williamson.