Toone makes 150th appearance for United
For midfielder Ella Toone, every game in which she pulls on the Manchester United shirt is a special one.
We suspect Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Aston Villa may rank highly on that list, having made her 150th appearance for the club in front of our home supporters.
While she wasn't able to register a goal involvement as we earned our 50th win at Leigh Sports Village, she was an instrumental figure helping us to record our first league win of 2024.
To commemorate this milestone, we’re taking a look back on the key moments that led our no.7 to yet another history-making moment as a Red.
When the club announced the revival of our women’s team in 2018, there was only one thing in Toone’s mind - she was coming home. Having spent time at the United Academy before departing, the attacking midfielder returned to assume the no.7 shirt and make her dream a reality. Following the reformation of the team, we began with a not-so-small clash with rivals Liverpool, when Toone came off the bench to help the Reds secure a first-ever win, courtesy of Lizzie Arnot’s late strike.
She has been with us through promotion to the WSL, our first Old Trafford appearance, an FA Cup final at Wembley, a title race that went down to the final day, and our maiden appearance in the UEFA Women’s Champions League - a whole host of history jam packed into 150 games, all special to this childhood Red.
After two WSL Cup appearances, we began our FA Championship journey in September 2018. Many fans may remember our opener, due to the sheer number of goals scored, as we hit Aston Villa for 12. Club captain Katie Zelem was on the scoresheet that day, and, in the second half, made way for our Toone, who came on to score the final goal of the game - and her very first for the club.
As well as leading the way in appearance numbers, she is also the club’s all-time top scorer, now two away from 50. She narrowly missed out on reaching another milestone on Sunday, too, as Toone sits just one goal involvement (including assists) away from 50 in the WSL. She will become the first-ever United women's player to reach those numbers.
We must, of course, nod to Toone’s international success on the back of flourishing with United. Her performances for club provided the springboard for her to receive accolades on an international stage. Ella’s senior debut for the Lionesses came in February 2021, when she emerged as a half-time substitute against Northern Ireland, scoring a penalty in a 6-0 triumph. Since then, she has not looked back, coming up clutch for Sarina Wiegman’s side on a number of occasions.
Our no.7 notably scored England’s equalising goal against Spain at the European Championship in 2022, as the Lionesses went on to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. A bonafide super-sub during the tournament, Ella came off the bench in the final - in front of a sold-out Wembley - and stepped up to the mark once more, breaking the deadlock against Germany with an audacious chip as England would eventually be crowned champions.
Less than a year on, she scored a crucial goal in the first-ever women’s Finalissima to give the Lionesses the lead. The game was settled on penalties after a late Brazil equaliser, and while Toone missed hers (sorry for the reminder, Ella!), club and country team-mate Mary Earps was between the sticks to keep the South Americans at bay. Some months later, our no.7 was bagging on the international stage once more with a cracking effort as England beat hosts Australia to reach the final of the Women’s World Cup, though they were subsequently beaten by Spain on this occasion. That is quite the repertoire of goals!
50 & 100
This is the second time our no.7 has achieved a significant appearance milestone during her time here, first hitting 50 and then becoming the first to make 100 appearances for United.
The midway point of her centurion journey came in October 2020, when we welcomed Brighton to Leigh Sports Village. Our midfielder settled into her landmark outing with a ninth-minute penalty that she buried beyond Megan Walsh, despite the goalkeeper guessing the right way. Coincidentally, the same fixture occurred less than two years later and Toone earned her centurion badge with 100th game for the Reds. While not on the scoresheet on this occasion, she did provide the assist for Leah Galton’s game-winning goal to pip the Seagulls and earn all three points.
If you’re a fan of fun facts, you might like this - Reds defender Maya Le Tissier was part of the Brighton side that started both of those notable games and will be joining Toone in the celebrations this weekend. While our leading appearance maker records her 150th outing, our no.4 will earn a 50th. It's funny how these things work!
Appearances
Overall: 150
By competition
WSL: 91
Championship: 20
Conti Cup: 25
FA Cup: 12
UEFA Champions League: 2
Goals
Overall: 48
By competition
WSL: 23
Championship: 14
FA Cup: 4
Conti Cup: 7
Congratulations on your incredible achievement, Ella!