Marc Skinner believes Manchester United have not received the deserved credit for identifying England starlet Grace Clinton and doubled down on the club's desire to keep her despite interest elsewhere.
Clinton, 21, has been on loan with Women's Super League rivals Tottenham Hotspur this season and has relished her time in north London. Her performances in the centre of the park have not only helped Spurs to reach an historic FA Cup final and sixth-placed berth in the league but also earned her a place in Sarina Wiegman's England team.
While she was unable to participate in the FA Cup final against United due to loan rules, the attacking midfielder's consistently scintillating performances have routinely caught the eye, particularly those of her current loan club Tottenham Hotspur, who have expressed an interest in peeling her away from United, who she joined in 2022 after progressing through Everton's academy.
United's conversely miserable season has seen plenty of scrutiny levelled towards manager Skinner for his decision to loan Clinton out to a rival club this season after sending her on loan to Bristol City in the Championship last season.
But Skinner vociferously defended the decision to send Clinton out on another loan spell and said he views the young star as having an important part in the evolution of the club.
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"All I hear is Tottenham want to keep Grace, of course they want to keep Grace," Skinner said on Thursday. "She's a fantastic player. I got to catch a moment with Grace after the final and explained it's a rubbish situation that she had to miss it. But I've challenged her to get us back there in the future.
"We don't get the credit that we identified her qualities at Everton, brought her to Manchester United, gave her six months, sent her on loan at Bristol – she got experience. She then went on loan to Tottenham to get more experience. I don't think people recognise that – there is a plan for each individual we bring into the club.
"With Grace, it's absolutely worked. I want to bring her back to the club and be part of what we're doing because I think she has a huge say in how we'll play."
United face Chelsea on Saturday, less than a week after lifting the FA Cup trophy, the first major honour for the women's team since their reformation six years ago.
Grace Clinton was given a starting spot in England's Euro2025 qualifier against Sweden (Photo by Naomi Baker - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)While United's hopes of European football are over, any chance at a league title for Chelsea in Emma Hayes' final season with the club means they must defeat United, whom they lost to in the FA Cup semi-finals.
"With Emma, I've always admired the way she has managed a successful group, to keep them hungry over a period – it's very difficult to do," Skinner said ahead of Saturday's clash.
"She deserves a lot of credit for that because she's got to keep people right on the edge of performance to win this league specifically. She's been unrivalled in that for many years. We'll miss that quality in the league and I'll wish her the very best – I'll obviously see her on Saturday and say the same to her.
"But from our perspective, we have to continue to grow the squad and the experiences. Games like the FA Cup final will help, it has to. But we're not there yet. For anyone, in order to emulate what Chelsea have done over a period of time, you have to almost perfect and we've got to chase that. The experiences [at Wembley] will help build that passion and the commitment the players have always had, but [also] belief in the big games that you can win them. Those will be deciding factors."
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