Ella Toone's recent form means the 21-year-old has only been on the bench in the Women's Super League in 2025, despite a strong start to the season
With less than five months to go until their European Championship title defence, England’s Lionesses have a fair few injury concerns. Flying winger Lauren Hemp had knee surgery in November and Alex Greenwood, her Manchester City team-mate, followed suit a month later. But arguably no absence creates greater worry right now than that of Georgia Stanway.
Part of that is because the Bayern Munich star only had her knee surgery at the end of January, giving her the least amount of time before the Euros to recover. But the main reason is because of England’s lack of depth in her box-to-box midfield role. While Sarina Wiegman has a whole host of attacking midfielders at her disposal, there are not many options for the other positions in the middle of the park, which Keira Walsh and Stanway have long held down.
Wiegman said this week she is “hopeful” that the latter will be ready for this summer’s tournament. “Georgia has a plan and she's really committed and very motivated to be back,” she added. However, it’s not just about July. England will begin their Women’s Nations League campaign next week, facing Portugal and then Spain, the world champions, in a competition that impacts qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
Grace Clinton could provide the solution to that Stanway-shaped hole, as a player Wiegman has used there before and one who is seen as a potential asset in that position at club level, too. But the 21-year-old has issues of her own to overcome at Manchester United right now, having found herself on the bench for all of their last three Women’s Super League outings.
Getty ImagesChange in fortunes
It's certainly unexpected that Clinton is in this position. After all, she was in flying form in the first half of the season, having returned to United following a scintillating loan spell with Tottenham that saw her earn a senior England debut. Match-winning goals against Everton and Crystal Palace highlighted her game-changing qualities, as her performances as the No.10 helped the Red Devils cope with the injury absence of Ella Toone.
However, since the latter’s return, Clinton has struggled to play the same starring role. Toone has come back with a bang, bagging six goals in her last six games, and United boss Marc Skinner has understandably opted to give the 25-year-old the reins in that No.10 role for now.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportFighting for her place
As such, Clinton has struggled for starts in 2025. Her only two have come in cup games: ahead of Toone for the League Cup quarter-final with Manchester City, likely owing to the recent return from injury of United’s No.7, and alongside her in the FA Cup win over third-tier Wolves at the weekend, when a more creative midfield was less likely to get exposed defensively. In the Red Devils’ last three WSL outings, Clinton has been on the bench.
“I think the reality is that you can learn a lot about resilience in this moment,” Skinner said last week, asked about Clinton’s recent run out of the starting XI. “I genuinely believe resilience is one of the biggest skillsets a footballer can have because … there's so many different things that will challenge you as a footballer.
"From our perspective, I think it's just about her learning in these moments, but also knowing that she's a huge part of the team and when she comes in and when she does her thing, whether it's from the start or from the bench, she can have a massive influence. I'm looking forward to her getting back to that form. It's something the team and myself are going to help her with.”
Getty ImagesDifferent role
Perhaps Clinton’s minutes are more likely to come in a different position right now. After all, she shone out wide for Spurs last season and Skinner, like Wiegman, believes in her ability to play in the slightly deeper No.8 role. “She’s clearly a creator, but she also has the tenacity to want to defend in those bigger spaces as well,” Skinner explained. “I think it's something she can continue to develop as well. It's not completely there right now, but it's something I know we want to focus on, and she wants to focus on.”
However, there is competition there at United too, with Japan international Hinata Miyazawa nailing down the box-to-box role in recent weeks. “It’s been a really high form midfield,” in Skinner’s words. “For us, I think it's about trying to strike the balance against the right opponent,” he added. “All we have to do is just keep working on the subtle differences between being an all-out attacking 10 and then knowing that there's defensive responsibilities within the No.8. That's an awareness thing, not a capability thing.
"I think it's about time and growth with Grace in that area, but also knowing that when she's on the field, she creates magic. It’s about not pulling that away from her. It's a really, really subtle balance. It's something we've got to strike together. But I'm looking forward to seeing her create and build from deep, but also help destroy attacks as well. That future is bright for us then, because they're all young in there.”
Getty ImagesAnxiety among fans
That future is only bright for Clinton and United, however, if the club can tie her down to a longer contract. A one-year extension in her current deal was triggered just after Christmas, keeping her around until the summer of 2026. However, that still means she will enter the final year of her contract this summer. That’s the kind of situation which clubs interested in the 21-year-old will test, almost certainly more so if the player isn’t getting regular game time. It’s a significant factor in unease among fans about Clinton’s recent minutes, or lack thereof.
It is hard not to feel like figuring out where she fits into this United team alongside Toone is going to be important when it comes to ensuring she remains at the club for many more years, then. It was a point of particular intrigue coming into the season and it has only become more interesting for the second half of the campaign.
