Manchester United Women striker Alessia Russo has hinted her future will remain with the Red Devils.
This comes after reports of interest from the United States – where she was before joining United.
BBC Sport’s Emma Sanders revealed former United boss Casey Stoney was interested in taking Russo back stateside with her new club San Diego Wave.
However, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Russo appears to have made her intentions to stay at Manchester United clear.
Alessia Russo Future in Manchester as She Seeks Further Success With Red Devils
Good Start to Alessia Russo’s United Career
Russo has enjoyed a fruitful start to her Manchester United career when fit. So far she has scored six goals and assisted four in 14 Women’s Super League appearances. Aged just 22, she is a talent with star potential and recently showed that for England too, scoring an 11-minute hat-trick in the 20-0 win over Latvia, the quickest in England history.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Russo said: “It was almost like fate for me to come here. I love the club, it was the perfect fit for me. And it’s a group of such talented, young humble people to be involved with. It was a project I wanted to be a part of, and it’s one that I’m loving.
“We’re a changing room full of winners and I think that we need to start backing up our performances with results now. Everyone’s really hungry to get back on the pitch and show what we’ve got. I would love to keep winning and pushing for the Champions League with Manchester United.”
United Ended 2021 on Good Terms
Manchester United had a mixed start to the season but have picked up a solid run of form that saw manager Marc Skinner and Russo’s teammate Ella Toone pick up the league’s manager and player of the month awards, respectively.
Russo herself was rewarded as the PFA’s fans’ player of the month for December 2021.
United were unbeaten in December – barring a penalty shootout loss (for an extra point after a draw) in the Continental Cup – beating Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0, Everton 2-0 and seeing off Aston Villa 5-0 to end the year on a good note.
Their return to action in 2022 has been delayed by West Ham United’s postponement last week due to Covid-19 cases. The Red Devils can finally kick-start the year on Saturday, January 15, when they host Birmingham City, looking to keep their momentum going. Birmingham upset Arsenal last week so have shown they won’t go down without a fight under interim boss Darren Carter.
Russo’s Roots
In the interview, Alessia Russo also revealed the root of her love for Manchester United: “United is part of our family. Grandad fell in love with Old Trafford and the team, so we were all raised as United fans. Growing up, for me, it was obviously about (Cristiano) Ronaldo, but I also loved (David) Beckham, (Ryan) Giggs, (Paul) Scholes, that generation.”
Russo missed much of last season with an injury, including United Women’s Old Trafford debut. They beat West Ham United 2-0 at the Theatre of Dreams. Russo had to watch on, she said: “It did feel special to see the girls play there, but you’d be lying if you said you weren’t even that little bit more gutted than you already are to miss a game, I guess it just lights the fire a little bit more.”
United will host Everton at Old Trafford in March 2022, allowing Russo to finally step out on that famous pitch, she’s looking forward to having her family there with her, she added: “Dad and my brothers will be there, all the family. It’s kind of like a give-back to the fans because they support us week-in, week-out, home and away, freezing cold, and to play in front of them at Old Trafford would be amazing and we owe it to them to hopefully go out and perform.”
Together, the likes of Russo and Ella Toone are shaping Manchester United’s future. With shrewder transfer business, there is no doubt they have the potential to be a force of women’s football, though, United clearly need more to challenge the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea, who dominate the women’s game today.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
