Manchester United will have full respect for passionate Sunderland side says Skinner | OneFootball

Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner says that his side will be giving Adobe Women’s FA Cup quarter-final opponents Sunderland the respect that they deserve.

The Red Devils play host to the Wearsiders at the Leigh Sports Village on Saturday evening.

Sunderland will try to make life difficult for Manchester United but head coach Skinner says that his side are capable of negotiating their way through difficult moments and that they will give The Lady Black Cats their full respect.

“We absolutely want to respect the opponent that we are playing against,” Skinner said when speaking in the pre-match press conference. “We will take this game as seriously as any other game that we play. It’s a quarter-final of the FA Cup and yes, the opponent is from a lower division but knowing Mel [Reay] and the way that she sets her teams up, they’ll be full of passion and right up for the game.

“We had to find a way against Leicester who blocked up at times and even when we weren’t at our best in the second half, we put up a display of quality in the first half to win the game.

“We have to be at our best and we will take things really seriously going into this game.”

Skinner knows Sunderland boss Reay well and he admires what she has brought to the women’s game during her long coaching career.

He said “What I love about Mel is that she’s a northern girl and loves the North East. For me, there is a little bit more in these games, just out of respect more than anything. We’ve both been at a level where we’ve had to be innovative, we’ve had to be creative when we’ve not had as much resource and I find that it really sharpens your coaching edge. With Mel, the role she’s played and how much she’s done, she’s a great role model. I have a lot of respect for her and her teams.

“There’s a bit of a personal acknowledgement there between both of us. For us, the best respect that we can pay is by giving the best performance possible from a Manchester United team and that’s what we are looking to do.”

Competition in the North East of England is high with Sunderland, Durham and Newcastle United all battling for honours in the Barclays Women’s Championship. Skinner is pleased to see North East football hitting the headlines.

He said “There’s an extreme talent pool [in the North East] when you look at all of the players that have played for England but for me, it’s the passion of the people as well. Like us, they have a fantastic fanbase and I’m happy to see that there’s a lot of growth in the area, especially with the teams because we know how important they are to the fans.

“It’s a challenge. I’ve watched their last game [against Durham] and the first goal is fantastic, there’s quality there.”

Manchester United’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup quarter-final tie against Sunderland kicks-off at 5.15pm on Saturday evening. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.