Heath exclusive: I hope there is a lot of pressure

The US Women’s National Team winger has joined the Reds on a one-year deal after spending the last seven years with Portland Thorns, preceded by two campaigns with Paris Saint-Germain. 

Our 32-year-old arrival brings a wealth of experience with her to Manchester, including 168 international caps and an honours list that includes two World Cups, plus two Olympic gold medals. 

Heath can’t wait to get started as part of Casey Stoney’s young squad and, in our exclusive interview, she speaks confidently about thriving on the pressure that comes with playing for United. 

“I am really excited,” says Tobin. “Even just putting on the training gear, it excites me. I am obsessed with football and I am a huge fan. Obviously, United is a huge club and especially for an American. It is the most well-known club for us and I think for a lot of Americans it was their introduction to proper football. To be here and to wear the badge is huge. As a women's footballer, I always wanted to play for the biggest clubs and this is a huge step for me, and it is something I am very proud of.

“I hope there is a lot of pressure and I hope there are a lot of expectations. I only want to play for a club that has expectations and that has pressure, because that means it is a club that wants to do something and wants to really challenge for things, and put themselves in positions where you can only grow with pressure. So I hope I have that here and, in terms of my football and the team that I play for, I don't expect anything less than the very best and trying to compete with the very best. 

“I know it is an ambition for this club to compete against the teams that have historically been around for longer and have a stronger history in the WSL. Coming in as a younger team and wanting to make a mark immediately in this league is important, and to build the team in the best way, and to be committed to the players, and the organisation, is critical. I came here to compete and to win. There is no other option in my DNA. I hope to bring glory to this club.”

Heath is also full of praise for Casey Stoney during her first interview as a Red and reveals the manager was repeatedly commended throughout her personal research of the club. 

“When I was trying to learn more about the club, when I had an interest in coming here, Casey was one of the things I heard most about and the amount of respect people had for her was huge,” says Tobin. “The way that they talked about her was the way I want somebody to talk about my manager. 

“Even just being around her and interacting with her, you can see the level of professionalism and seriousness and commitment to the team that she has, and putting the team first. She has developed such a strong culture in such a short period of time and she is a no BS manager, which I really appreciate. Her career speaks for herself and I think she wants the same as a manager. 

“She is super ambitious and she has a lot of belief. She has the commitment to follow through with her vision. She is not a 'tell coach, she is a 'show coach', and see already that she shows the team exactly the right path and that is the greatest quality you can have as a leader, so I am looking forward to working with her.”

So what are Heath’s goals and ambitions for her time with United? “A title here, a trophy here, would be fantastic,” she says. “I would love to bring joy to the supporters here in the way that I play football and I would love to have history here at the club that I can look back on and say I did something for this club that was so special, especially because it is so young and there is so much opportunity here. Even just being part of the group and hearing they have the same ambitions, I know I can come here and help. I want to win and I don't know exactly what it is that we will win, but we will win.”