Manchester Uniteds womens team are entering their latest new era.As The Athletic reported on Monday, Marc Skinner departed his position as head coach after mutual termination of the 43-year-olds contract, ending the former Birmingham City and Orlando Pride head coachs five-year tenure.On Tuesday, United confirmed the news reported by The Athletic on Monday that Eva Olid would be Skinners successor. The player leadership group learned of Olids appointment on Tuesday afternoon. Olid was introduced to the rest of the squad at lunchtime on Wednesday.The 40-year-old Spanish coach has been out of work since departing Heart of Midlothian at the end of the 2025-26 season after leading the club to their maiden Scottish Womens Premier League (SWPL) title.Below, The Athletic explains Uniteds process in appointing Olid, the challenges the new head coach faces and what fans can expect.Why have Manchester United appointed Olid?Her arrival coincides with the new direction the club intend to take for their senior womens team. The direction, according to the club, hinges on a sustainable investment model for recruitment and an emphasis on bringing through young players from the academy.Uniteds view is that the current expenditure across the Womens Super League (WSL) is not sustainable and the new direction will support long-term success.United have made only two signings so far this summer (defender Andrea Medina and backup goalkeeper Janina Leitzig). Two more signings are expected, a central defender or midfielder and a left-winger.They have given professional contracts to three prospects in 17-year-old Layla Drury, Jess Anderson and Scarlett Hill, both 18. All three are expected to feature this season to augment the depth of the first-team squad, along with academy products Emma Watson (20), Jess Simpson (21), Mared Griffiths (19) and Lucy Newell (19), all of whom spent last season out on loan.The clubs determination to incorporate this young talent with minimal competitive first-team experience means a head coach with an ability and desire to develop and use those players will be critical for the upcoming season.As The Athleticreported in April, some sources close to the squad questioned Skinners ability to bring young talent through, stating his preference was to deal with older players already armed with ample senior experience.Last season, United ranked last among WSL clubs for minutes given to players under 21 years old.Skinners exit from United was predicated largely on a disagreement regarding the clubs new direction.Concerns were raised among some players and members of senior staff, including Skinner, that Uniteds new direction could see them slip behind their main WSL rivals and struggle to maintain competitive levels with the leagues top three sides, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.Speaking in April, Skinner called for changes at United this summer, specifically calling forincreasedinvestment inthe first-team playing squad.You (can) give me all the flak. Thats no problem; thats my job, Skinner said after Uniteds 5-3 aggregate defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.But if we want to compete at this latter stage, weve seen what weve got to do, as a club. And then its our choice now, isnt it?The club consider Olid to be more in line with the new direction for the senior womens team. She has earned a reputation for developing young talent during her five years at Hearts, particularly with minimal budget while also playing attractive, possession-based football.How much of that reputation can fans place faith in?No new head coach is perfect and Olid should not be seen as a panacea to Uniteds issues in bringing through young players, nor the league-wide challenge that transitioning academy players into first-team WSL environments has posed.That said, Olids track record for working with young talent is evident.Before taking on a role with Houston Dynamos academy working with the womens and mens under-19s, she impressed when she took a development team to a tournament in Catalonia.A move to Hearts followed. The squad which won last seasons SWPL title had an average age of 22 years old. The average age of her starting XI was 23 years and 191 days, according to Statsbomb.It should also be noted, according to Scottish womens football writer Matt Dallinson, that the SWPL is a league that predominantly features young sides, with teams composed of players between 17-22 years old and 29 or older.Additionally, while Olid has experience working with young players, many have pointed out that a young player is different to an inexperienced one. January signing Ellen Wangerheim, for example, is 21 years old yet arrived at United with more than 100 first-team appearances for Swedish top-flight side Hammarby, including in the Champions League. Players such as Watson (20) do not boast such experience and as Wangerheims first stint in the WSL demonstrated, the step-up in England can be significant.At Hearts, Dallinson points out that many of the players Olid worked with had prior first-team experience elsewhere, including within the SWPL or WSL2.Even so, her ability to focus on and improve the technical aspects of players, including the likes of Georgia Timms and Jenny Smith, was a positive throughout her Hearts tenure.Also evident was her ability to perform within tight financial constraints. Olid arrived at Hearts when the womens team were still part-time but her ambition and work eventually led to increased investment into the project, including the professionalisation of the first team. Those at Hearts speak glowingly about Olids proactive work ethic, her football-obsessive nature and the overall trajectory of the womens team over her five-year tenure, despite having fewer resources than teams such as Glasgow City or Rangers.What about her style of play?Born from the Barcelona school of football is how one person at Hearts described Olids style of front-footed, possession-based football.At Hearts, she preferred to play with a back three but unlike another recent Manchester United head coach known for espousing the merits of a back three, Olid does not steadfastly worship at the back-three altar. In fact, her time at the Scottish club was defined by an ability to adapt and concede on playing principles, using a 3-5-2, 3-4-3 and even a back four.In Olids first season in the SWPL, Hearts finished second from bottom, an improvement on the year before when the team finished bottom but still not high enough to keep worries of a potential sacking at bay. She has since spoken publicly about her realisation that, to compete in the SWPL, she would need to blend her preferred Spanish, tiki-taka approach with the physical, more direct nature of Scottish football.In Olids final season, Hearts ranked fourth in the league for possession (56.8 per cent), second for build-up attacks, shots from fast breaks, set-piece goals and short passes and first for direct attacks and total goals (85).She has also spoken about a need to help develop players technically, from body positioning to touches and passing. At Hearts, recruitment was often a matter of moving for who was available, meaning tactical flexibility was critical.In a league often featuring managers who refuse to concede on playing principles, Olid was known for not over-complicating tactics, according to Dallinson, as well as playing players in their best positions. Under Skinner, there were criticisms that United players were not always used in their best positions, such as 2023 World Cup Golden Boot winner Hinata Miyazawa being deployed in midfield, or Wangerheim being pushed onto the wing despite being signed as a No 9.Olids teams tend to feature wide centre-backs, wing-backs who push forward and send crosses into the box and midfielders with clear instructions to either stay or get forward. However, with more technically adept players at United, there is space to be more tactically creative.When did United start planning for life after Skinner?That Skinner would eventually leave United was not surprising to many inside or outside the club.The timing, however, was.As The Athletic reported on Tuesday, Skinners relationship with the club had begun to fray over the past year as he spoke more publicly about the need for increased investment into the playing squad from the ownership and discord between the clubs desire to rely on young, inexperienced players as opposed to recruiting more experienced players.When Skinner did return for the summer, it appeared he would remain in post for the final year of his contract.However, as pre-season progressed and sales of key players were made, including forward Melvine Malard to Chelsea for 850,000 ($1.15million) and England defender Gabby George looking likely to join Brighton & Hove Albion, the issues over depth and direction mounted.United had completed background checks on potential candidates to replace Skinner throughout the summer. They were looking for someone experienced at working with young players in first-team environments, as well as experience working with or inside academies.Were there other candidates?Yes. BK Hacken coach Elena Sadiku was sounded out in July over a potential move. However, according to sources familiar with the situation who, like others referenced in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, the former Celtic Womens head coach preferred the prospect of continuing with the seriousness of the project at Hacken. Sadiku led Hacken to the inaugural Womens Europa Cup final in May, defeating Hammarby 4-2 on aggregate to earn automatic qualification to this seasons Champions League league phase.The sentiment echoes some of the concerns raised by representatives of several managers The Athletic spoke to, who held reservations about Uniteds overall direction, particularly with the increased investment into first-team squads from clubs around United in the WSL table.So, how big a job will this be for Olid?Olid impressed in Scotland and caught the attention of many around womens football. Yet, while one person at Hearts believes Olids opportunity at a bigger club has come later than expected, many sources inside and outside the club have pointed to the significant competitive step up to the WSL and to a club like Manchester United in particular, given they are expected to be competing for one of the WSLs Champions League spaces.Ensuring Olid can gain the respect of veteran players will be critical, as well as being able to blood youngsters without fear of exposing their weaknesses or inexperience. As The Athletic reported on Tuesday, some within Uniteds squad felt frustrated by the clubs direction and there are concerns about falling away competitively. Olid will need to assure players that is not the case, then show them.To say Olids first competitive matches as United head coach will be a baptism of fire is an understatement and will certainly make both of the above significantly more difficult.Their first three league matches are against Michele Kangs London City Lionesses, eight-time league winners Chelsea (United have lost 16 of their past 19 meetings against them) and last seasons runners-up Arsenal.Olid will no doubt face challenges, particularly when it comes to investment. But there is hope amongst those inside and outside the club that she can help drive United forward.While many sources believe Uniteds players have overachieved given the teams operating budget compared to league rivals, some also maintain that a tactically astute manager with the ability to develop young talent could bend the margins in Uniteds favour. Of a possible 90 points across 30 WSL matches against Chelsea, Arsenal and City, Skinner managed to collect only 21.Whether the margins are growing too wide given the difference in financial investment this season will be the key question.This article originally appeared in The Athletic.Manchester United, Heart of Midlothian FC, Manchester United WFC, Women's Soccer, Women's Super League2026 The Athletic Media Company