United Beyond Manchester

Grace Clinton arrived in Manchester on a free transfer at age 19. At the time, Marc Skinner said, “she will bring invention, creation, and has the personality and resilience required.”

Yet, for a while, it didn’t seem like that would be in Manchester. Clinton was sent to Bristol City on loan six months after signing for the Reds. At the time, she had not made an appearance for her parent club.

At Bristol City, the youngster scored six times in fifteen Championship matches, helping her club reach the WSL through promotion.

Despite the evident quality of the then 20-year-old, Skinner and the United staff decided to send Grace out on loan a second time.

Tottenham Hotspur became the second landing spot for Grace Clinton, as she moved to London in August 2023. In twenty WSL matches, she scored four and assisted four, leading to her first senior international minutes in February 2024. In a testament to her quality and improvement, Clinton also won the PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year as her side finished a spot below Manchester United.

After two loan spells, Grace Clinton is finally getting her opportunity in Red, and she is making the most of it.

Marc Skinner’s side opened the season with a 3-0 win against West Ham at Old Trafford. Geyse and Leah Galton netted in the first half before 21-year-old Clinton scored on her debut for Manchester United. Her second-half header capped a perfect start to the season. After the match, she said, “Debuts don’t get better than that, for me.”

It was not just her debut that was exceptional. Eight days after her first United goal, Clinton grabbed another, and this time, it was the decisive goal.

In the 4th minute at Everton, the 21-year-old buried a right-footed finish into the home side’s net. Neither team scored again, and the Reds earned another three points.

Two matches into her United career, Grace Clinton is living the dream. She is a testament that hard work and improvement while on loan can lead to success at the club that you want to be at. She learned and improved at each stop, leading to her incredible start to life as a first-team player at United.

Now, Marc Skinner will know he can rely on Grace as the team pushes for an improvement on last year’s disappointing season.

Can Grace Clinton, alongside Ella Toone, lead the United Women to silverware?