Marc Skinner makes huge claim on Simi Awujo’s potential

Manchester United Women began their FA Cup campaign in five-star fashion.

Marc Skinner’s side beat Burnley 5-0 to progress to the fifth round of the competition.

Speaking after the match to the club’s official website , the manager claimed, “it wasn’t flawless by any means. We could have been more aggressive, but we were facing a block. It’s hard to beat a block, I thought Burnley did that really well, they were compact [and] made us work.”

He added that there were “lots of positives and I’m happy that we’re progressing into the next round with a performance like that.”

Skinner also asserted that Maya Le Tissier’s opening strike after just two minutes helped his side settle down and secure the win.

The match also saw Julia Olme, Lea Schuller and 16-year-old Layla Drury score their first goals for the club.

The manager stated, “but there’s so many firsts today that I’m really proud of. Even Millie [Turner], it’s her first minutes back since her injury.”

The Canadian scored a great goal for the Red Devils and Skinner could not praise her enough.

He claimed after the match, “it’s Simi’s chance to realise her potential. She has fantastic attributes, but I want her to start realising [that]. [She’s got] a side where she picks the ball up and doesn’t think about anything other than, ‘I’m going to shoot’.”

He continued, “[Simi] could be the best, the best. I’m just going to keep challenging her to keep producing that. When she scored the goal, I went ‘do it again, do it again,’ because she’s a unique player that can do that. But she needs to realise it’s on her. She’s got to take [the opportunity].”

Commenting on Layla Drury’s debut strike, Skinner said, “look at the way she invades [space]. Just watch her goal, she waits, waits, times [the run] and goes. That’s perfect. I was actually surprised by the finish, it was really nice. First time to take it, instinctive. I was really pleased and I think she’s one that we need to keep around, because I think she can impact games.”

Also speaking to the club’s official site, the youngster opened up on a magical day for herself.

Reflecting on the day, the attacker said, “well, to be honest, I have no words. I didn’t expect to come on today, and to score on my debut as well, it’s like, grateful is an understatement. So yeah, I’m thankful to everyone here today.”

Veteran defender Millie Turner also spoke about her return from injury and claimed it was “unbelievable” to be back and that she had just found out that she had not played 90 minutes for eight months.

– Sunday, 18 January 2026

Featured image Michael Campanella via Getty Images

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