Manchester United manager Marc Skinner has responded to rumors that Chloe Kelly may be heading out on loan from rivals Manchester City.
Reports emerged about Kelly’s future ahead of last Sunday’s Manchester derby in the Women’s Super League (WSL), with the striker also left out of Gareth Taylor’s City squad.
Thetelegraph wrote that Kelly is “open to a move” to United for the remainder of the 2024/25 season, having only started one game for City in the WSL so far.
Upon request from 90min Regarding the veracity of the rumors, Skinner replied: “I’m sure you can expect my answer, we don’t talk about other teams’ players.”
“We have always said at Manchester United that if it is the right person at the right time who fits in with this unique group of teammates, we can look to do business.”
“The winter window is known to be a little more difficult to work with, but the reality is we are always looking. The team is always working hard on recruiting.”
United have been keen to retain some of their core players and recently signed defender Jayde Riviere to a three-year contract extension.
The club has lost several high-profile players on free transfers in recent seasons, with England starters Alessia Russo and Mary Earps in 2023 and 2024 respectively being notable examples.
“From our perspective, if you want to build the longevity of a team, you have to have a core group that travels together. In the past, for whatever reason, be it player decisions or club decisions, players have moved on,” Skinner added.
“We’ve gotten younger in the market so we can actually bring these players together. Anna Sanberg is an example of what we are trying to achieve here, Jayde.” [Riviere] Sign a new contract, Grace [Clinton]. With these young people we are trying to build a team that can stick together for a while. It creates cohesion.
“I look at the successful teams in this country and they have a core group. We need a younger core group to work together so we can help the club succeed.”