Vote for United Women’s May Player of the Month
The voting is now open for Manchester United Women’s final Player of the Month award of the 2022/23 season.
May’s prize is up for grabs and will be contested between three Reds that would all be first-time winners of the accolade, since its introduction in January.
Vilde Boe Risa, Lucia Garcia and Maya Le Tissier are the trio vying for your vote in our official poll – which you can find at the bottom of this article - following their contributions to United Women’s final few weeks of a progressive campaign.
Marc Skinner’s side may have just lost out in the Vitality Women’s FA Cup final to Chelsea, and in the WSL title race to the Blues, but pushed them all the way with wins in each of our last three league matches, against Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool, securing Champions League football for 2023/24 in the process.
That effort required contributions across the squad, but we’ve picked out the influences of the three aforementioned Reds in particular to form a shortlist...
VILDE BOE RISA
The Norway international was as eager as ever to make an impact from midfield across her three appearances in the month. Vilde was unlucky not to put a goal on her resume for May, with a goal-bound thunderbolt that was well saved in our win over Tottenham her most pertinent opportunity to add to a tally of five for the season.
Our no.8 did make a direct contribution to our scoring output however, teeing up arguably the team’s most crucial effort of the month. The midfielder’s smart and unselfish header back across goal set up fellow Player of the Month nominee Garcia to score a stoppage-time winner in the derby victory over City, that would ensure the race for the WSL title went to the wire.
The Spaniard may not have started any of our four matches in the season’s final month, but demonstrated her ability to have an instant impact from the bench throughout. During her substitute outing in the FA Cup final, the forward set up a key chance for an equaliser in the closing stages, after Leah Galton connected with her floated ball in from the right, only for the outstretched leg of Ann-Katrin Berger between the Chelsea posts to deny the latter's attempt from going in.
Lucia then displayed her quality in front of goal when introduced in our final two matches of the campaign, showing brilliant composure on both occasions to score vital late winners against City and Liverpool, that ensured we did everything possible across the month in our pursuit of the league crown.
The young defender’s impressive inaugural campaign in Red came to a fitting conclusion across the month of May. Le Tissier started all four matches – ensuring she’s one of the Reds’ quartet to be named in each of our WSL XIs this season – and had an impact at both ends of the pitch.
Her over-the-top ball for Garcia in the win over Liverpool was the pass which created the opening for the winner on that occasion, but it was the defensive work that she is better known for that was even more valuable to United. Superb last-ditch blocks to deny Bethany England of Tottenham and Khadija Shaw of Man City, when both contests were level, were seismic contributions. The latter was certainly equally as important as - if not more than - Garcia’s late go-ahead strike just a few minutes later.
So, will you pick Boe Risa, Garcia or Le Tissier as United Women’s Player of the Month for May?
You can have your say via the official poll below and we’ll announce the winner later this week.
Good luck to each of our three shortlisted Reds!