Casey Stoney has resigned as manager of Manchester United Women and will step down at end of season.
Since taking charge of the newly formed Man Utd Women’s team in 2018, Stoney led them to promotion to the Women’s Super League (WSL) and consolidated Utd’s place in the Women’s top flight where they sat top at the turn of 2021.
A mixture of injuries and four defeats in six games between February – early April however saw the Red Devils slip out of the title race, ultimately finishing fourth and missing out on Champions League qualification by just one point to Arsenal.
Reflecting on her decision to step down after three seasons in charge, Stoney said; “It has been an honour to lead the women’s team at this great club and this has been an incredibly tough decision.”
Stoney also spoke of how proud she is to have “successfully established” the club as a top WSL team, after having won promotion via Women’s Championship as champions in their first season since forming for the 2018-19 season.
Above all, Stoney revealed that she feels that the timing is right “… for someone else to come in and lead the team on the next stage of its journey.”
Man Utd Executive Vice-Chairman, Ed Woodward paid tribute to Stoney’s contributions in the club’s development across the last three seasons, hailing her as “a driving force” of the team who has served as “an inspiration to her players and staff, …”
Woodward also thanked Stoney on behalf of everyone at Man Utd for her “hard work and dedication” in helping the club make considerable progress in their first three seasons as a proper club.
Stoney’s final game as manager of Manchester United Women will take place this Sunday (16 May), as the Red Devils host newly promoted Leicester City Women at home in the Fifth Round of 2020-21 Women’s FA Cup.
A new managerial appointment will be named in due course although Joe Montemurro is unlikely to be in the frame, with the Australian manager leaving Arsenal for personal reasons following their FA Cup game against Crystal Palace on Sunday.