Skinner hails 'fantastic' Phallon Tullis-Joyce

The 28-year-old committed her future to the Reds last week, signing on until 2028, during a stellar first season as the team’s first-choice shot-stopper.

Speaking to journalists ahead of United’s home midweek match against WSL leaders Chelsea, Skinner was keen to show his appreciation for Phallon’s qualities.

“I believe, with her in goal, we’ll win things,” he began emphatically.

“As a manager, I’m right in the middle of a really big run-in with little time between [games] but there’s been a small moment of respite where I can just say how happy I am that she’s signed a new contract.

“You have key players as a manager and, for me, Phallon is a key player. She’s a fantastic goalkeeper but also a fantastic person. I need to stress that every time we talk because I want to build a team of solid, fantastic players, but also fantastic people.

“She fits the bill on both of those and I’m looking forward to building strong teams with her in it.”

Tullis-Joyce is one of several players at United to sign new contracts in recent months, following on from Millie Turner, Jess Simpson and Jayde Riviere, as well as Skinner himself.

Marc was asked about the balance between focusing on the future while competing for silverware, given United will face Chelsea in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup final in mid-May.

“We have to do that [build for the future],” he said.

“We’re all clear [that] we’re not a team that can go into the market and spend a million. We have to be prepared to work with players, make them better, grow with them. But then when we do, I think the frustration in the past, for me, has been where we’ve let players go or they’ve moved on after we’ve done the work with them.

“For us, it’s about retaining. I think we’re doing that in a much better way now and we’ve learnt from our past mistakes and we’re pushing forward. If you look at the ages of those players and the age of our team, it’s for future success, as well as for the here and now.”