Le Tissier: It will be special

The summer signing is eager to impress, having signed for United from Brighton and Hove Albion with a strong reputation as the WSL’s all-time record holder for appearances made as a teenager.

In an interview with club media ahead of our 2022/23 curtain-raiser at LSV on Saturday, which is set to be attended by a record crowd for a United Women's match at the stadium, the 20-year-old says she can’t wait to play in front of “the best fans in the league.”

"They’re always the loudest [supporters],” the defender said of the United faithful. “So I think it’s going to be special to play in front of them.

“They haven’t seen the team play for a long time and with all the players at the Euros, it’s going to be really special for them.

“We’ll put on a good performance and hopefully they enjoy it.”

Despite her confidence, Le Tissier maintains that Reading – who were also United’s opponents on the first weekend of last season – will be no pushovers.

“I think they’ll probably still have the same principles [as last season],” she said of Saturday’s opponents. “I think they are always a challenging team in the league, so they’ll be hard.

“We just need to make sure we match them and let our football do the talking really. I think it’ll be a really good game and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Going into the fixture, Maya believes that the hard work of Marc Skinner’s squad in pre-season will pay off, and the quality within the Reds squad this season will be evident.

“We’ve got so much talent and so much ability in this team,” she said. “Everyone is so good.

“It’s been really good and really competitive in training and that’s going to bring the best out of all of us. Come Saturday, it’s going to be really good and hopefully the fans can see what we have been doing [during pre-season].

“I think it’s going to be really exciting.”

And with United looking to better our fourth-placed WSL finish from last season and qualify for the Champions League, the defender revealed her ambitions for the upcoming campaign.

“I just want to win. I really want to win and be a big part of the team.

“Whether that’s on the pitch [or] off the pitch I think we can all help in our different ways. We’ve got a big squad this season, so whichever is the best team to play the game and get the three points is the most important thing.

“I’m going to make sure I do everything I can to help the team, whether I’m playing or not.”

COME TO SEE UNITED WOMEN

Tickets for United v Reading in the Women's Super League this Saturday 17 September at 12:00 BST are on sale to all supporters, online, via tickets.manutd.com, and hospitality seats are available in shared executive boxes.

Coach travel from Old Trafford to Leigh Sports Village can also be booked in advance.