Manchester United must prove Sir Alex Ferguson claim right with FA Cup redemption

Sir Alex Ferguson once famously claimed that "only true champions come out and show their worth after defeat".

For Manchester United Women, this weekend will be the litmus test of that sentiment as the Reds bid to exorcise the ghosts of last season's FA Cup disappointment with a victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. Marc Skinner's side beat Chelsea - their conquerors in last year's final - to book their place in the last two and get a shot at becoming just the fourth team since 2012 to get their hands on the trophy.

In what has largely been a campaign to forget for the club, this weekend's clash has the potential to be one of the most significant moments in United history, with the Reds looking to yield a first major piece of silverware since the women's team was reformed in 2018. For Skinner, too, Sunday is a weighty occasion, offering the chance of salvation and the opportunity to prove his pedigree as an elite-level manager.

The 41-year-old - who is out of contract this summer - has been the subject of considerable scrutiny in recent months, with some fans having made their discontent known by brandishing 'Skinner Out' banners in the stands. It was mildly surprising, then, when it was reported in April that the manager had been offered a new deal, with all signs now pointing to him staying in his post beyond the end of this month.

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"We’re adding silverware to Manchester United so I think that’s successful wherever you are as a club," Skinner said on Friday when quizzed on whether victory this weekend would render this season a success.

"There are things we will learn from this season that I already know the answers to that we can fix in the summer, I have no doubts about that. When you’re at the end of the season, you want to finish it in the best way you can. We have two finals to go – one at Old Trafford (in the WSL against Chelsea) and obviously the one at Wembley this weekend... from our perspective, if we can add silverware for our fans then I think that would be hugely important going forwards.”

Irrespective of what happens at Wembley on Sunday, the feeling in some quarters is that extending Skinner's stay in Manchester would be an indictment of the club's long-term ambitions. Much like his counterpart Erik Ten Hag, the United boss has been accused of underachieving this season, with the Reds currently fifth in the Women's Super League (WSL), 17 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

They also crashed out of the UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) in the first qualifying round and failed to progress to the knockout stages of the Continental League Cup. For a club bidding to be regularly mixing it with Europe's elite, the numbers simply aren't good enough and there is a sense that Skinner's continued presence does not marry with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's ambition to make the Reds best in class in every department.

And yet, in just a few days time, the United boss could join an exclusive group of WSL managers to reach the proverbial promised land by lifting one of the game's most coveted prizes. "I think success looks like different things in different seasons and you can only do what you can do in that position," Reds midfielder Hayley Ladd told the Manchester Evening News and other selected media this week.

"We’ll certainly be really proud of winning if we do. We’ll probably admit that there’s always growth to be made. We were really proud of the finish we had last season. I think we probably punched above our weight as well in some respects so in some ways perhaps that’s made it difficult this season but this team doesn’t stand still. We’ll keep evolving and trying to improve and we’ll come back next season stronger than ever."

There is, perhaps, some legitimacy to Ladd's claim that United overachieved last season. The Reds took the WSL title race to the final day, eventually missing out by two points, while also reaching the FA Cup final.

They secured Champions League qualification for the first time in the club's history, earning a European place at the expense of their Manchester rivals. All of that, though, was not enough to prevent the departures of Alessia Russo and Ona Batlle last June, while four of United's seven summer signings have spent much of this season sidelined through injury.

With those mitigating factors in mind, it could be argued that United have been the victims of their own success this term and ending the campaign with some silverware should be viewed as a big achievement. Tottenham, however, will be eager to ensure the Reds have no morsel of positivity to cling onto by upsetting the odds to claim the FA Cup trophy this weekend.

Spurs have never beaten United and Sunday will be the club's first experience of reaching the final. As such, they will go into the game as underdogs - though Skinner was keen to downplay that notion in his pre-match press conference.

"We have to make sure that we play the way we want to because we’ve been there and done it," he said. "It has to be a business for us. We need to make it business-like but enjoy the moment. We’ve got to Wembley. We’re playing against a team that will be buoyed by that. You get an energy when it’s your first final. But I think there are ways that you can counter-act that and we have to try to do that.

"This is an equal playing field going into it but we cannot and we will not underestimate them. Whatever tag people add to it, we know the job we have got to do.”

Should United get the job done, supporters will hope it marks the start of a brave new era in which the Reds are constantly competing for the game's top honours. "It’s long been part of our ambitions as a squad to get silverware and to achieve top, top level accomplishments in football," Ladd said. "So even though the season has been somewhat mixed, it would provide us with a massive lift.

"This is my fifth season here now so I’ve had the privilege of seeing the club grow, seeing the squad grow and take on different challenges and hopefully still be on track to be a really top successful team. It’s been a challenging season in a number of ways. We obviously haven’t done as well and we’d hoped in the league but hopefully we can rectify that a big with the FA Cup. I think silverware is massive for a football team and if we manage that it will be successful for us."

For Skinner - who also lost an FA Cup final with Birmingham City in 2017 - it feels like success is no longer a luxury but a necessity as he seeks to convince the club's hierarchy - and its supporters - of his suitability for the role of United boss. "There was an interview with Gary Neville and Eddie Howe and they talk about how managers have to be bulletproof but we’re also human," he said.

"I think it would be unnatural for me not to feel, and to not be devastated by a loss. But I’ve always known that losses make you stronger and the strength you need to succeed on the long-run is understanding how to deal with failure."

While dealing with failure may be part and parcel of a manager's job, Skinner will hope it is not something he has to concern himself with this weekend. Though he might endeavour to be bulletproof, another Wembley defeat may just inflict a wound from which he cannot recover.