Eva Olid Takes Charge of Manchester United Women's Team
Manchester United have handed the keys of their women’s team to Eva Olid, a coach with a reputation for fearless football and player development, on a two-year deal with an option for a further 12 months.
She arrives from Hearts, where she did something extraordinary. She turned a club long on the fringes of the Scottish women’s game into title contenders and record scorers, then walked away at the peak of their rise.
Now she steps into one of the most scrutinised jobs in the WSL.
From virtual unknown to title challenger
When Olid landed in Edinburgh five years ago, she was a virtual unknown outside coaching circles. Hearts had never been one of the main powerbrokers in Scotland. By the time she left in May, they were staring down at everyone else.
Last season, Hearts became the top scorers in the SWPL with 85 goals. Only Rangers, with 80, came remotely close. That wasn’t an accident. It was the product of a full-frontal attacking philosophy, built around a bold 3-4-3, with the goalkeeper expected to act as a fourth defender and a launchpad for attacks.
The approach brought history. Hearts lifted their first Scottish Women’s Premier League club silverware and reached their first domestic final, losing the 2024 Scottish Cup to Rangers but announcing themselves as a serious force.
Just as importantly for United, it showcased a coach who improves what she has. Young players grew, the team’s identity sharpened, and performances climbed season on season.
“The opportunity to become head coach of Manchester United Women is a dream come true,” Olid said after the announcement. “There is already so much talent within our squad and I am excited to work with the players to support them to fulfil their immense potential.”
United’s brief: develop, then dominate
United made it clear internally what they wanted after Marc Skinner’s departure by mutual consent on Monday, just a month before the WSL season kicks off. They wanted a developer. Someone who could take a squad with promise and raise individual ceilings, week after week.
Olid fit the brief.
“Eva is the perfect coach to lead us into an exciting new era – she shares our commitment to developing exciting homegrown and young players,” said Matt Johnson, United’s director of women’s football.
Her track record backs that up. At Hearts, she promoted and trusted youth, including the Husband twins, Erin and Jess, who both made their debuts at just 15. She also spent time working with the Scotland women’s national team, adding another layer to her coaching education and her understanding of the domestic talent pool.
Former Hearts captain Georgia Hunter, who left for Ipswich this summer, was unequivocal about her old manager’s impact.
“She’s a great manager, very, very good,” she told BBC Sport. “I learnt so much. The transition with all the players and [where] she took the club to is absolutely amazing.”
Inside the club, there was a sense that Olid was going somewhere bigger. BBC Sport Scotland’s Amy Canavan summed it up: “We were convinced she had somewhere special to go. She 100% deserves this chance and is ready for it.”
United clearly agreed. Skinner’s exit was barely public before the club moved. Their recruitment process was already advanced, and Olid’s contract was signed within 24 hours.
Tactical edge and a ruthless streak
Olid’s reputation is built on attack, but she is no ideologue. The turning point in Hearts’ rise came when she finally solved a problem that had dogged her for four seasons: Glasgow City.
Across her first four campaigns, Hearts could not beat them. Then came April. Olid ripped up her own script, went defensive, and ground out a 1-0 win that sent Hearts top of the table.
It was a statement result and a revealing one. She had a Plan B, and she was willing to use it.
That night also carried a personal twist. It was the game where she announced her intention to leave, saying she could not have gone without tasting victory against Glasgow City at least once. She wanted the landmark before she walked away.
That combination – aggressive football when possible, pragmatic when required, and a sharp sense of narrative – is what United now hope will translate to the WSL.
For Ella Toone, Lea Schuller and Elisabeth Terland, the numbers from Hearts will be hard to ignore. A side that scored 85 league goals last season suggests chances will come, if the ideas travel south as effectively as the coach has.
A leap into the unknown – under a spotlight
There is a catch. For all her success in Scotland, Olid is untested in the WSL and in European competition. This is a step into a league where the pressure is relentless and the scrutiny unblinking.
United’s women’s project has already faced questions. Skinner’s departure reopened debates about the club’s ambition and long-term planning. Those questions do not disappear with a new manager; they land on her desk.
The expectations are clear. United want youth development. They want individuals to improve. They want a recognisable style, shaped in part by Olid’s Spanish roots and possession-based ideas. And they want all of that under the weight of a badge that demands trophies.
The scrutiny will be immediate. The patience may not be.
Four weeks to make a mark
Time is short. United begin their WSL campaign away to London City Lionesses on 4 September – four weeks on Friday. Between now and then, Olid must galvanise a depleted squad, integrate young players and imprint a new way of playing.
Her first task is emotional as much as tactical: to lift a dressing room that has seen change, to convince a frustrated fanbase that this is not another reset but the start of something sharper.
At Hearts, she arrived as an unknown and left with a club transformed. At United, there is no anonymity, no gentle runway, no hiding place.
The question now is simple and brutal: can the coach who conquered Scotland’s undercard bend the WSL to her will, or will this be the job that tests the limits of her rise?
