Manchester United boss Mark Skinner says the club need to be aggressive in the January transfer window and hopes to add some players to his squad ahead of the Women’s Super League game against Arsenal on January 10.
United have already booked themselves at least a place in the Champions League playoffs by winning their opening three matches in the league stage.
Their 2-1 win over West Ham at Leigh means they go into the final WSL game before the winter break against Tottenham next Sunday in third place, just ahead of Spurs and their north London rivals Arsenal.
However, after seeking reinforcements in the summer and not getting the depth he wanted, Skinner has urged the club to act quickly to strengthen their squad for the second half of the season.
“We have made history for Manchester United,” Skinner said. “We are showing progress. Now we need to be aggressive in the window and bring in new players who will help the team develop.”
Skinner says they need reinforcements in defence, midfield and attack.
Midfielder Celine Bizet recently announced she is pregnant, while Skinner has also said the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia in March could deprive her of Japan midfielder Hinata Miyazawa for a long time.
It was previously felt that minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was indifferent to interest in the women’s side of the club.
However, a tight financial situation will be tested as Skinner looks to build rapidly.
Asked if he could add new players to the club in time for the Arsenal clash, he replied: “I’m hoping to add potentially one of the two players before then. We need three or four in the window.
“This is a great opportunity to build. The market is crazy but we’re talking about it.”
“We need depth so that when we have to rotate the quality doesn’t drop off in certain areas.
“(The players) won’t like it because they won’t want to rotate but we need to be aggressive.”