“They’re Playing at Full Capacity” – Arsenal Legend Urges Manchester United Women to Strengthen Squad After Recent Collapse

Ian Wright has called on Manchester United Women to make January signings, warning that Marc Skinner’s squad are already “playing at full capacity” and cannot improve much further without reinforcements.

The Arsenal legend’s comments come after United’s alarming recent form. Following an unbeaten start through seven WSL games and three Champions League matches, they’ve lost three of their last four . A shock home defeat to Aston Villa, followed by heavy losses at Manchester City (3-0) and VfL Wolfsburg.

Speaking on the Crossways Podcast with former Lioness Steph Houghton, Wright questioned the owners’ commitment to building a genuine title-challenging squad.

“They’ve done brilliantly Steph, finishing in the top three to get to the Champions League,” Wright said. “But it’s like the owners are just letting them get there, ‘go on, you get there,’ they are not building them up, so once they get there, they can do something. It comes back to how much do they want to see this team succeed? Because they are now playing for me at full capacity.”

Tullis-Joyce Injury Exposes Depth Issues

Wright specifically highlighted goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s fractured eye socket as exposing United’s squad thinness. “When you lose someone like Tullis-Joyce and then you have to put in an inexperienced goalkeeper like that, who you have to say that’s the deep end. You can see now where it’s now starting to be a bit stretched for United.”

His concerns echo those raised earlier this season by Carla Ward, who insisted the club’s board had “let the women’s team down” after United faced Liverpool with just 16 players out of a possible 20 in September due to injuries.

United signed Julia Zigiotti Olme, Fridolina Rolfo and Jess Park last summer, with Park arriving in the swap deal that sent Grace Clinton to Manchester City. However, Wright believes more investment is essential if they harbour genuine Champions League ambitions beyond just qualifying for the competition.

Also read: Broken Eye Socket Sidelines Manchester United Women’s Star: Expected Healing Time and Return Date