Millie
Turner

The centre-back, who has a skilled range of passing, returned to the club when our women’s team reformed in 2018, having previously spent time developing in the Reds’ youth setup. In the time between, Turner got top-flight experience with both Everton and Bristol City, before playing a key role in Casey Stoney’s Championship-winning side of ‘18/19, which secured our place in the WSL for the first time. Such was Millie’s importance that she missed just one of 77 competitive games across United’s first three seasons, with her leadership presence, footballing quality and infectious positivity making her a favourite among supporters. The defender overcame a challenging 2021/22 campaign, disrupted by a long-term knee injury and tear to a major artery in her neck, by showing her true character and resilience, before returning to the pitch for the start of the following term. It was then that she began to form a strong partnership at the heart of our backline with new signing Maya Le Tissier, with the pair helping the Reds to keep clean sheets in each of their first five WSL appearances together. By the end of the season, Le Tissier and Turner had started 20 of the Reds’ 22 league matches alongside one another, with the final tally of 14 shutouts a record for the division, and viewed as the foundation for a second-place finish that secured the team’s inaugural UEFA Champions League berth. While Millie’s defensive contributions were essential, she also popped up with two of United’s most important goals over the course of 2022/23 – a brilliant late equaliser in an eventual victory at Arsenal and a last-gasp winner away to Aston Villa in the closing weeks of the term. She became the third United Women player to reach 100 outings for the club, after Ella Toone and Katie Zelem, during the 2-1 victory at Tottenham in that campaign and continued to add to her tally during 2023/24, starting every fixture but two across all competitions. Our no.21’s efforts for the Reds were recognised at international level, with the centre-back making her England debut against Italy in February 2024, before returning to Manchester and doing her bit as United won the FA Cup with victory over Spurs at Wembley, three months later.