Manchester United risk making same mistakes as Mary Earps makes honest contract admission

As the clock ticked down at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, the pocket of travelling Chelsea fans in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand opted to make Mary Earps the subject of their derision.

"Mary, what's the score?" they crowed at the Manchester United goalkeeper, who cut a solitary, slightly despondent figure in her 18-yard box. The score, in fact, was 6-0 to Chelsea.

It was United's heaviest defeat of the season and, just a week on from the Reds' FA Cup triumph at Wembley, it served as a chastening reminder of their deficiencies. Twelve months ago, there was little to separate these two sides but, in the balmy Manchester sunshine, the gulf in quality looked every bit as large as the 20-point gap between them would suggest.

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At the full-time whistle, Earps joined her teammates in parading the FA Cup trophy around the stadium but it was not quite the euphoric homecoming the United players had surely been hoping for. At the other end of the pitch, the away fans rubbed further salt into Earps' wound by striking up a chorus of 'England's No.1', directed at Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.

While their serenade was more than a little tongue in cheek, the sentiment behind it was not as outlandish as it might have seemed last summer, when Earps won the Golden Glove at the Women's World Cup. Last month, England boss Sarina Wiegman gave the clearest indication yet that Earps' undisputed No.1 status was under threat when she gave Hampton the nod in the Lionesses' EURO 2025 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland.

"I think we're in a very luxurious position that we have two incredible goalkeepers," Wiegman said when quizzed on her decision to drop the United shot-stopper. "As we saw with Mary (against Sweden), she did an incredible job but I also think that Hannah is doing a great job for Chelsea. She's growing into competition with Mary so this is a moment for her to shine."

United's collective malaise this term has been such that it has been difficult for anyone in red to truly shine. After narrowly missing out on the Women's Super League (WSL) title in 2022/23, Marc Skinner's side have struggled to recover their best form and finished the season in fifth place - six points behind a Liverpool team who were plying their trade in the Championship only two years ago.

It's little wonder, then, that Earps - whose contract expires this summer - is considering her future at the club. "The honest reality is that conversations are still ongoing," the 31-year-old told Sky Sports News this week when asked about her next steps. "I've been clear I don't want to make an emotional decision.

"The beginning of the season was really tough, I felt really upset about things that were being said about me and things that came out that weren't true.

"I've tried to be professional, keep my head down, work hard, get on with my job and that's been hard. I've been a punching bag at times. I know I've given my heart and soul for the whole season. It's a tough situation.

"I've asked the club for some confirmation on what they're trying to achieve and when I have those answers I'll be able to make a decision. It's up to the club."

It's unsurprising that Earps has been feeling the heat of the media spotlight; she has been at the centre of intense transfer speculation since last summer, when it emerged Arsenal were interested in capturing her signature. That interest appears to have cooled of late, with the Gunners now reportedly preferring a move for Aston Villa goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar.

But, while her form may have dipped slightly this season, Earps would certainly not be short of suitors should she choose to seek pastures new. She has been linked with French giants Paris Saint-Germain and her situation is being monitored by a host of top European clubs.

That she appeared to put the ball in United's court in with her latest comments on her future is telling. The club came under fire last term for their inability to tie down first-team duo Alessia Russo and Ona Batlle to new deals, with the pair departing for Arsenal and Barcelona respectively.

Though United's underwhelming campaign cannot solely be attributed to their exits, it was an indictment of the club's hierarchy that both were allowed to leave on free transfers. Now, the Reds risk losing Earps in the same manner, with the Daily Mail reporting last week that midfielder Ella Toone is also attracting interest from Barcelona.

While that particular move may not materialise, with Toone under contract until June 2026, it is clear United need to do more to convince their star players that the club has a clear formula for success. Over the past 18 months, United has felt like a club in flux.

In February, it was confirmed that head of women's football Polly Bancroft was set to depart at the season to take up a position as a chief executive of League Two side Grimsby Town. Matt Johnson, who currently works for the club's Foundation as well as overseeing the girls' regional and emerging talent centres (RTCs), is set to take over on an interim basis at the end of the campaign but Bancroft's long-term successor has not yet been named.

Her exit comes after Skinner's highly-rated assistant Martin Ho left the club last summer to become head coach at Norwegian side SK Brann Kvinner, while several other key personnel - including physiotherapist Ibrahim Kerem and performance analyst Luke Wright - have moved over to join Erik ten Hag's side.

This, of course, has all occurred against the backdrop of takeover uncertainty, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe eventually having acquired a minority stake in the club back in February The Ineos chief is now responsible for sporting operations, with United seeking to emerge into a brave new era under his stewardship.

The fact that Ratcliffe chose to attend United's Premier League clash with Arsenal instead of watching Skinner's side lift their first piece of silverware earlier this month, however, does not instill confidence that the women's team ranks very highly on his list of priorities.

Ineos director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford was in attendance on Saturday afternoon and will surely have been mildly perturbed by what he witnessed. The United hierarchy awarded Skinner - whose contract was due to expire this summer - with a new deal last week, although negotiations had been underway for some time.

It was a controversial call considering the backlash Skinner has faced from some quarters of the fanbase at various points throughout the season and only time will tell whether the 41-year-old has what it takes to turn the Reds into a European force.

"I need to go away and reflect on what we need to do as a team," Skinner admitted in his post-match press conference at the weekend. "I need to work with the club to make sure we know those areas. I've known for a while where we fall short, but there's also a time that you need to be able to develop those areas."

For Skinner, there is at least the assurance he has another season to try and turn things around. But for United's decision makers, time is running out to convince players like Earps that it's worth staying in Manchester and the club need to show they have learnt from their mistakes before it is too late.