Katie Zelem: Manchester United captain leaves WSL club on free transfer after six years when contract expires
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Published 27/06/2024 at 16:29 GMT
Manchester United captain Katie Zelem has left the club after her contract expired, the FA Cup champions announced on Thursday. Zelem, who has been at United since their inaugural season in 2018, notched up 161 appearances and scored 32 goals for the club, making 12 appearances for England during that time. United are also expected to lose goalkeeper Mary Earps on a free transfer this summer.
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Manchester United captain Katie Zelem has left the club after her contract expired.
Zelem's departure comes after it emerged that Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps will reportedly leave the Women's Super League club and join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
Spain forward Lucia Garcia is also leaving United on a free.
After originally joining the club aged eight, Zelem joined Liverpool as United had no professional setup at the time.
Zelem joined the senior women's team in their inaugural season in 2018, in which they won the FA Women’s Championship title.
The 28-year-old went on to make 161 appearances and score 32 goals.
"Everyone at Manchester United would like to place on record their thanks to Katie for her excellent service and wish her the best of luck in the next phase of her career," a statement from the club read.
It is understood United held a further year’s option on her contract, but they reportedly opted not to trigger that extension.
Zelem captained United to second place in the WSL in 2022/23 and to their first major trophy last season when they defeated Tottenham 4-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley last season.
She has also made 12 senior appearances for England and despite missing out on Euro success, she was part of the Lionesses squad who reached the final of the 2023 Women's World Cup.
Nikita Parris is another player who is out of contract next week and is reportedly considering offers from other clubs.
In addition to the loss of key players, it was revealed that the women's side are being moved into portable buildings to accommodate the men's senior squad while the Carrington training complex undergoes renovations of the men’s facilities.
Recent comments from new United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe raised eyebrows after he admitted that planning has not yet begun for the women's team, revealing that he was focusing on the issues on the men's side first.
"We haven't got into that level of detail with the women's team yet," he said. "We've been pretty much focused on how we resolve the first-team issues, and that's been pretty full-time for the first six months."
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