Getting to know Manchester United Women manager Eva Olid

It has been a whirlwind ten weeks for Eva Olid since she took over the managerial reins at Manchester United. Her surprise appointment at the start of August, following the departure of Marc Skinner, meant she stepped into one of the biggest clubs in England just a month before the new Women's Super League season kicked off. When we sit down in a Manchester coffee shop—an ironic setting for someone who does not actually drink coffee—it marks her first genuine pause in a relentless schedule that has given her almost no time to explore her new home city.

The 41-year-old manager enjoyed exceptional success in her previous role at Hearts, where she transformed the team from the bottom of the table into Scottish Premier League champions over the course of five years. However, despite her impressive track record north of the border, she was a relatively unknown quantity to English audiences south of the border. Consequently, her absolute top priority upon arriving at the club's Carrington training base was to introduce herself to her new squad and explain her philosophy, values, and coaching style.

On her very first day, Olid opted for complete transparency, showing her players her past work and sharing who she is as an individual. She made a conscious effort to demonstrate that she views herself as a person before she is a coach, aiming to be authentic from the very second she walked through the door. Without the luxury of time to process the magnitude of her new surroundings, she dove straight into communicating how she envisions football, emphasizing hard work, mutual support, and a commitment to helping every player reach their full potential.

Olid's introduction to life at Manchester United was far from straightforward, as she inherited a relatively thin squad alongside a new club policy prioritizing the development of academy players over making marquee transfers. Compounding these structural challenges was her ambitious goal to implement a demanding, new attacking style of play. It was a massive task for any incoming manager, and the early results reflected the steepness of the learning curve, with United dropping their opening match 2-1 against London City Lionesses before suffering a humbling 5-0 home defeat at the hands of Chelsea.

That heavy loss in front of their own fans against a fierce title rival could have broken a new manager's momentum, but Olid believes it served as an essential turning point for her relationship with the squad. Following the match, she held difficult, honest conversations with the players and took full responsibility for the tactical shortcomings. By owning the mistakes, she created a foundation of trust and accountability that allowed the team to reset and move forward with greater clarity.

Reflecting on that turbulent week of emotions, Olid admits it was difficult but insists she maintained her inner confidence because she was able to diagnose the root causes of the team's struggles. In football management, identifying the problem is half the battle, and once the issues were clear, she knew the necessary changes could be implemented. As she continues to navigate her journey at United, her resilient mindset and tactical vision will undoubtedly play a crucial role in shaping the future of the club.