Eva Olid's Vision for Manchester United's Women’s Super League Season

Eva Olid wants Manchester United to walk into the new Women’s Super League season with the handbrake off.

The new manager has told her players to be “brave” and to adopt an “attacking mindset” as she prepares for her first league game in charge on Friday night, away to London City Lionesses (19:00 BST).

The Spaniard arrives from Hearts, where she built her reputation by upsetting expectations. Now she replaces Marc Skinner, who stepped down in the summer, and steps into a United dressing room that has heard plenty of noise about what it supposedly cannot do this year.

A muted transfer window, certainly quieter than many fans wanted, has fuelled doubts over whether United can realistically push for a top-three finish. Olid has heard all of it. She is not rattled.

“It’s normal, no? It’s normal to have people doubting. I have felt the support a lot too,” she said, pointing back to her time in Scotland as evidence that she thrives in these conditions.

“People that followed me in the last years with Hearts know I made something impossible possible, so I believe in what we are going to do. It’s not something you get in weeks but I believe with a little time you get impossible things.”

That belief feeds directly into her demands. The message to the squad has been sharp, simple and non-negotiable: attack.

“My ambition is attacking football. I focus the gameplans on how we can hurt the teams. All teams have weaknesses we can exploit,” Olid explained, making clear that United’s approach will not be built on caution.

Pre-season has not exactly crackled with promise, but she wants Friday to mark a shift.

“This team will play the first match in the league and I want it to be as close as possible to what I want. The style of play is different to what we had last year,” she said.

That change will not be flicked on like a switch. Olid has had to be pragmatic in how quickly she reshapes United’s identity.

“You can imagine it’s not an easy task. What I did was put aside the principles of play that I thought was easier to change for the first match so we can compete.”

The club, she insists, is fully aligned with her vision. They did not bring her in to play it safe.

“The club wanted to play attractive football and be brave. We know that can have risks but the club support me in that. They signed me for that.”

Now comes the real test: whether a team many have already written off can turn that promise of brave, attacking football into points when the whistle blows in London.