13 May 2024 , 07:55
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Manchester United boss Marc Skinner admitted the future of Mary Earps remains uncertain despite the club finally laying claim to a first piece of silverware.
United relished a dominant performance over Tottenham Hotspur as goals from Ella Toone and Rachel Williams and a brace from Lucia Garcia secured a 4-0 victory at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
England No 1 Earps is out of contract at the end of the season and speculation has swirled around the future of whom many deem to be the world's best women's goalkeeper.
The Euro 2022 winner has not been coy about her desire to be competing for trophies on a consistent basis, a reality that this season has been a stark non-occurrence as United slumped to a fifth-placed berth in the Women's Super League behind Liverpool and were knocked out of their maiden Champions League run in the qualification stages.
Whether a first piece of silverware since the women's team's reformation six years ago will impact Earps' decision in the future is uncertain, but Skinner cut a hopeful figure after the showpiece victory.
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"That is a decision to be made later, it is not a conversation for now,” he told the BBC. “I’m sure it does help but me and Mary have a great relationship. Of course I would love her to stay. She is an FA Cup winner.”
Earps cut an ecstatic figure during post-match celebrations and admitted that the triumph made a difficult season "worth it".
Mary Earps celebrates with teammates after the FA Cup final victory over Tottenham Hotspur (Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)“It’s special," Earps said of the achievement. "I’ve been at Manchester United for a long time, it’s not been an easy season for anyone. But this makes it really nice, really worth it. Winning at Wembley never gets old, really.”
She added: “I think we’ve been brilliant in the FA Cup this year, we’ve come together at a really good time, you could feel it all week how much it meant to everyone, so I’m just happy we could get the job done, it’s not been easy.”
Victory with United represents yet another piece of silverware picked up by the Women's World Cup Golden Glove winner in a remarkable autumn of her career.
“That’s what I want to do, I want to win," she said. "So I’m going to enjoy tonight, take in a special moment, five years of hard work.”