Katie
Zelem

Zelem came through the United youth system before joining Liverpool in 2013, aged just 17. A year later she made her first-team debut and was voted the club’s Young Player of the Year in her first season, as Liverpool won the WSL. Zelem has experienced joining a newly-formed team before, when she signed for Juventus in 2017. Despite enjoying her time in Italy, she couldn’t turn down the chance of returning of returning to United after a year on the continent. One of the most technical players in 2018/19's FA Women's Championship, Zelem showcased her ability to unpick even the most resilient of backlines notching up 11 goals from 23 appearances in all competitions. Katie's contribution on the pitch towards United winning the Championship title saw her win Player of the Month in March 2019 and the Reds' inaugural Women's Player of the Year award, and she was named club captain after the departure of Alex Greenwood. A set-piece specialist, Zelem scored from the spot to wrap up United's first Women's Super League triumph, a 2-0 win over Liverpool, and also curled in a sublime free-kick against Manchester City in the Continental League Cup to help secure a first-ever derby victory. She also had the honour of being the first captain to lead out United Women at Old Trafford, skippering the side to a 2-0 success against West Ham on 27 March 2021. She would go on to score in future appearances at the Theatre of Dreams against Everton and Aston Villa. In the 2021/22 season, Zelem scored three 'Olimpico' goals for United across two consecutive matches. Our no.10 found the net directly from a corner in an FA Cup tie against Manchester City, before doing the same twice in a league match against Leicester City on the following weekend. Our opening game of the following campaign saw Katie become United Women's second centurion in terms of appearances for the team, registering her 100th outing while captaining the Reds to a 4-0 success over Reading. On the international stage, she won her first senior cap for England against Latvia in 2021, and captained the Lionesses for the first time during an Arnold Clark Cup victory over Italy in February 2023.