On Saturday, die-hard Manchester United fan Ella Toone stepped onto the hallowed turf of Old Trafford once again and delivered a man-of-the-match performance in the Reds’ 5-0 win over Aston Villa.
He then spoke to Sky Sports about the freedom he has at Manchester United as he excels week after week.
Toone recorded two assists in the epic win in front of 30,196 fans.
“I feel like Marc gives me that freedom to go out and express myself on the court and get into holes, take the ball, be brave and try different things,” he said.
She continued: “I felt like I did that today, found little spaces and enjoyed having the ball.”
It is well known that Toone and Alessia Russo, scorer of United’s third goal, are best friends off the pitch, the pair linking up perfectly to put the game out of Villa’s reach.
Speaking of their on-field partnership, Toone said: “She makes me look good most of the time. I know I can give it to her and she’ll get hold of it.”
“I think we have that relationship on and off the court. It helps when you build those relationships off the pitch, it always helps to get on it.”
She praised the 23-year-old who also grew up a United fan: “Alessia is a great player, I know what her strengths are so I work very well with her and we connect very well.”
Russo was not the only one to receive high praise from Toone, as full-back Batlle, who assisted one and scored another of the five goals, was also praised in his post-match commentary.
“She played amazing today. She every week she does very consistent presentations for us, so [I’m] Delighted to have scored the goal at Old Trafford”.
In their post-game interviews, both Toone and Marc Skinner outlined the team’s intentions and standards for the season, insisting that despite a dominating display, there is still room for improvement.
“I think our standards are so high that we probably won’t be 100 percent satisfied with that performance. We want more of ourselves and much more, but we are very happy with the three points and the five goals”.
The 5-0 was witnessed by a new home crowd record for the club.
When asked about the fans, Toone said: “It’s amazing, it’s what we want. We want to put on those performances so that the fans will come back to the stadiums and watch us and support us. They have been incredible since we formed the club and they continue to grow in number.
The Reds will be in action in the Conti Cup on Wednesday at the Leigh Sports Village and next weekend they take on City at the Etihad.
