Marc Skinner retains an air of defiance after winning the FA Cup with Man United amid uncertainty over his future... while Sir Jim Ratcliffe was a notable omission at Wembley by choosing to prioritise the men's team, writes KATHRYN BATTE

There was an air of defiance as Marc Skinner walked into his post-match press conference at Wembley holding the FA Cup trophy in the air.

This was undoubtedly Skinner’s best day since he took over as manager in 2021, but the uncertainty around his future remains. It is a strange parallel.

Rachel Williams, who scored United’s second goal in their 4-0 victory over Tottenham, said the victory ‘masks over the issues’ the club has had this season. United are currently fifth in the Women’s Super League and, with one game left, it would be their worst ever finish in the top flight.

United should be allowed to celebrate their achievements at Wembley. It was a historic day and one that could become the springboard for future success. But the idea it masks the club’s under achievements in the league is perhaps a stretch.

Skinner, who is out of contract at the end of the season, needs to have conversations with the club’s owners about the direction they want to go in.

But there was a notable absence at Wembley on Sunday. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club’s minority owner and INEOS leader, chose to watch the men’s match with Arsenal at Old Trafford instead. United did have board representatives at the game, with Avram Glazer one of those in attendance.

One of the alleged reasons Ratcliffe was not at Wembley is because he was meeting Sir Keir Starmer and Lord Coe, who were guests of Andy Burnham, to discuss the regeneration of Manchester and a potential new stadium for the United. Of course, Starmer does live in London and a meeting at Wembley would indeed have been a shorter commute. 

Others on social media argued that Ratcliffe is just the minority owner so why should he be at Wembley? It made sense that Avram Glazer was there instead. Only it did not seem to make sense to those United fans in the stadium, who booed loudly when Glazer came on the screen. 

Ratcliffe is the face of United now and minority shareholder or not, INEOS are in charge of the football operations - which includes the women’s team.

Compare Ratcliffe to Joan Laporta, who is president and face of Barcelona, and there is a stark contrast. Laporta travelled to London for the second leg of Barca’s Champions League semi-final with Chelsea and is a regular presence. 

The representation for Tottenham at Wembley far outweighed United’s. Chairman Daniel Levy was there, so too was executive director Donna-Maria Cullen and ambassadors Ledley King and Ossie Ardiles.

Tottenham did not have a fixture clash in that the men had played a day earlier but the point is, if Ratcliffe really wanted to be at Wembley, he would have gone. He chose to go to Old Trafford instead and that is fine. He does not have to be interested in women’s football. 

He does not have to go and watch games if he does not want to. He can tick the boxes and delegate the handling of day-to-day operations to other people.

But if that is how it will be then United should spare us the ‘One Club’ cliches. A lot of teams use this PR line when talking about their women’s teams. 

Many share training grounds, play some fixtures at the big stadiums and we might, every now and again, get a bit of a social media crossover between men’s and women’s players. But very few can actually claim to be ‘One Club’.

Somebody tried to tell me on social media that if Ratcliffe had gone to Wembley he would have been criticised for neglecting the men’s team, which is possibly one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard.

Tottenham at least practiced what they preached on Sunday. ‘I think it shows that we do this for real,’ Spurs boss Robert Vilahamn said on the club’s representation.

‘We want to be all in with women’s football. Daniel Levy, Donna-Maria Cullen, Andy Rogers, everybody is here to support the team today. It shows something. They’re showing by actions how they want to do this.

‘I think it’s a win-win for everybody because we’re going to do it together. That’s why I’m here.’

To claim to have a ‘One Club’ approach, the face of said club has to show up for both teams.

Vivianne Miedema prepares for Arsenal farewell 

Vivianne Miedema will leave Arsenal at the end of the season and it appears Manchester City are pushing to sign the forward on a free transfer. Miedema, who is the WSL’s all-time leading scorer, was not offered a new contract by the Gunners. 

It is understood that the club believe it is a natural end to a successful seven years with the club and want to direct resources in other areas, which includes refreshing the squad. 

It was interesting to note that there were no quotes from manager Jonas Eidevall in the club’s press release. Similarly, Miedema did not mention Eidevall in her goodbye video. 

England beckons for Aggie-Beever Jones 

It is surely time for Chelsea forward Aggie-Beever Jones to be given her first senior England call-up on Tuesday. 

Sarina Wiegman will name her squad for the double-header with France at Wembley and Beever-Jones would be the obvious replacement for Rachel Daly, who retired from international football last month. 

The forward has 11 goals in the WSL season. Lauren James is the only English player with more (13).

Women's referees praised for FA Cup final performance

Referees in the Women’s Super League have had their fair share of criticism this season but Abigail Byrne and her assistants were excellent at Wembley. There should be a special mention for Sophie Dennington, who spoke eloquently about her journey before the game. 

Dennington was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child and at the age of 13, had the reading and spelling age of a seven-year-old. 

She had hoped her story would be an inspiration to others. She should take immense pride from her performance in the big stage.