Manchester United confirm another huge departure as women's captain leaves for free

Manchester United Women have confirmed another huge departure with club captain Katie Zelem leaving the club for free.

The lifelong United fan has been with the club ever since they reformed a senior women’s team in 2018 and quickly established herself as one of their most important players throughout her six-year spell at the club.

Zelem, 28, was made captain in her second campaign with the club and made a total of 161 appearances across all competitions, scoring 32 goals in the process. She played a key role in winning the FA Women’s Championship title during her debut season and was a key part of the record-breaking 2022/23 term in which United finished second in the WSL, secured Champions League qualification for the first time, and reached a maiden FA Cup final.

Although the performance levels dropped in the WSL last season, Zelem made history by lifting the club's first major trophy when United defeated Tottenham 4-0 at Wembley in the Women’s FA Cup final in May.

Zelem's departure is the latest high-profile exit from United Women with goalkeeper Mary Earps also expected to leave for Paris St-Germain on a free transfer. While Earps turned down a new offer, it is understood United had the option of an additional year in Zelem's contract, but opted against triggering it. Earlier this week, United also confirmed striker Lucia Garcia will leave the club when her contract expires at the end of this month, while the future of Nikita Parris also remains uncertain.

The mass exodus comes at a time of uncertainty for United Women after a report earlier this week claimed the team would be moved into portable buildings at the club’s Carrington training complex to allow the men’s squad to use the women’s building while the men’s building is being revamped.

Last week, United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe admitted he has not gone into detail on plans for the women’s team yet. “We haven’t gone into that level of detail with the women’s football team yet,” he told Bloomberg. “We’ve been pretty much focused on how do we resolve the first-team issues, in that environment, and that’s been pretty full time for the first six months.”