Third-place WSL finish will be hard to repeat but Champions League group stages are in reach and Fridolina Rolfö is an eye-catching signing
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Tom Garry’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 3rd
Manchester United are embarking on what they hope will be a historic season for the club that could see them taking part in their first European group stage campaign, if they can overcome the tricky hurdle of facing the current Norwegian league leaders, Brann, first and foremost. The excitement of potential first meetings with sides such as Barcelona looms large. However, if Marc Skinner’s team are going to be able to be competitive both domestically and on the continent, and juggle those extra demands, it is fair to say their squad currently looks low on depth.
They are entering the final few days of the transfer window with just two new signings secured. Both of them are Sweden internationals of significant quality, with a multiple former Champions League winner in Fridolina Rolfö arriving from Barcelona and the midfielder Julia Zigiotti Olme having been snapped up from Bayern Munich for an undisclosed fee. Yet the squad still looked fairly thin during the Champions League second qualifying round fixtures in Sweden and they are understood to still be searching for at least a defender and a forward.
