Ella Toone has described how United Women are “making history every single day”
in the latest episode of UTD Podcast, which will be available to enjoy in full from Monday.
Our homegrown hero sat down with co-hosts Helen Evans, Sam Homewood and David May to record what is, predictably, an incredibly entertaining listen.
While Toone brings the laughs with her infectious personality, her podcast is also a revealing insight into the women’s game and the inspirational journey she has been on since childhood.
Before United Women was established in 2018, Ella had been playing on a 'dual contract' with Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers: meaning she trained with the former and played matches for the latter. When the chance to become a Red was mooted, she jumped at it.
“Yeah, I think my dad rang me,”
recalls Toone. “I don’t know how he saw it or whether my mum saw something on Facebook – mum loves a Facebook scroll! They were like: ‘There’s rumours that there’s going to be a women’s team.'
“I thought: ‘Wow, this could be perfect for me right now in my career, I need to go and play, it’s home and it’s the club that I love and support.'
UTD Podcast | Watch as Ella explains how it feels to play for her beloved Reds.
“So, for that little girl who had that dream to one day play for Manchester United, it was now coming true and hopefully the manager wants to sign me. And that was it. I think it was quite a quick turnaround. There was a rumour and the next minute there was a team.
“I was on a dual contract with Blackburn and City and then I was just at City. I wasn’t at Blackburn anymore, so I wasn’t playing matches. So I said to my agent: ‘I just need to go and play, I love football too much to be sat on the bench.'
“In that transition I was talking to clubs and then Casey [Stoney] came in. I had one conversation with her and, yeah, I thought: ‘I want to go home, I want to play for Manchester United.' And, yeah, that was it.“
“I don’t know if they [management] were aware of it, but I remember it was one of the first times we’d all met,”says Ella.
“I think we’d met Casey at Old Trafford, she was talking, there was a few of us in the room and she handed us this – it was like a box – and I opened it and it was a shirt with ‘Toone 7’ on the back.
UTD Podcast | Toone discusses her childhood idol Cristiano Ronaldo and wearing no.7 for United.
“So, I just thought: ‘Wow, that’s amazing, number seven!' And then I was like: ‘What does the seven mean, is this my number or what?’ I didn’t think it would be my number and she was like: ‘Yeah, you’re the no.7 for Manchester United.' And obviously for me that was so special.
“Like, growing up, supporting the club, Ronaldo being my favourite player, wearing the no.7 shirt whenever I had a kit. I don’t know if they knew that it was special for me, but at the time that was unbelievable. And I couldn’t wait to get home to show my mum and dad.”
Asked if it felt like history was being made, Ella continues: “Yeah, and I still think that now.
“I think we’re making history every single day. Obviously at the start it was history. It was the first Man United women’s team.
“Every day is obviously special playing for such a big club and putting the shirt on every weekend is still so special to me and the same as it was five years ago. It will always be a special thing for me.”
SUPPORT UNITED WOMEN AT OLD TRAFFORD
Toone and our women's team will be in action at the Theatre of Dreams next Saturday, 25 March, in a vital Women’s Super League match against West Ham United (kick-off 17:30 GMT).
Tickets are priced at just £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.
To book your seats and support our push for the WSL title in person, head to manutd.com/tickets.