Manchester United Women prepare for the historic Old Trafford match in the Champions League

Manchester United’s Champions League match with Paris Saint-Germain will be historic.

This is the first time the women’s team has played a European match at Old Trafford.

At a club built on the legend of Busby, winners of the 1968 European Cup and Champions League under Sir Alex Ferguson, this is a significant achievement.

It is another step up for Mark Skinner’s side who were enjoying an excellent season until Saturday’s shock defeat in the Women’s Super League against Aston Villa.

“Manchester United have an amazing history in European competition,” said Matt Johnson, the club’s head of women’s football.

“For us, it’s about the future. We have to put a new lens on it.

“It’s a really good opportunity to move forward with the women’s team and hopefully create a future that, in 40 to 50 years’ time, means someone else will say how they broke barriers, just like Sir Matt did.” [Busby] “We did it in the 1950s and 60s, and Sir Alex did it after that.”

United started their first Champions League campaign in impressive fashion, winning their first two matches.

A win over a Paris Saint-Germain team that lost both teams would effectively guarantee at least a place in next year’s play-off round ahead of upcoming clashes with heavyweights Wolfsburg and Lyon in the first stage.

It’s an impressive effort for a club whose commitment to women’s football has repeatedly been called into question.

United were the last Premier League club to launch a Women’s Super League team, initially joining the second tier in 2018.

Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s absence was noted at recent cup finals, particularly in 2024, when he chose to watch the men’s team lose to Arsenal in the Premier League at Old Trafford rather than be at Wembley as Skinner’s side thrashed Tottenham.

Add to that the women’s team having to move into temporary dressing rooms to allow the men’s team to take over their dedicated £7m training facility during the overhaul at Carrington last season, and it’s easy to understand why United’s hierarchy have been criticized.

Johnson feels that claims of lack of interest are unfair.

He said: “Manchester United is fully committed to the women’s team.

“This is exactly one club. We have access to the same facilities and all the same recruitment resources.

“There is a real family feeling about the club. When you are in the bubble, you feel fully supported and embraced by the club.

“But this is a growing industry and we want to be sustainable. When we were late, it was because we wanted to make sure that when we came in, we could do it well. Sometimes it’s late to the party but we dress better.”