The 23-year-old has been consistently outstanding for the Red Devils since her move from Brighton, but its yet to translate to the international stage
On Sunday, Sarina Wiegman will be watching on as the two best English centre-backs of the 2024-25 season go head-to-head in the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley, in a clash between Manchester United and Chelsea. Both have captained their sides to extremely impressive seasons, with United back in the Champions League and the Blues looking to complete just a second-ever treble. But only one looks set to feature prominently as the Lionesses head to Switzerland to defend their European Championship title this summer.
That is Millie Bright, who has not received anywhere near enough praise for her performances this season. The Chelsea skipper has taken full advantage of her first injury-free campaign in three years, forming a strong partnership with Nathalie Bjorn that has laid the foundation for a season that has already returned a League Cup and a sixth-successive Women’s Super League title.
On the other side, meanwhile, is Maya Le Tissier. Arguably among the top three players in her position in the WSL this season, alongside the Chelsea duo, her form at United is made all the more impressive by the fact it has come in her first year as the club’s captain, an honour she has fully earned despite only celebrating her 23rd birthday last month. And yet, to the surprise of many, her chances to showcase that level with Wiegman’s England have been rather limited.
Getty Images SportAnother fantastic season
This season has been no flash in the pan for Le Tissier, either. It’s her third with the Red Devils, after bursting onto the scene as a teenager at Brighton, and she has played every WSL minute of it once again, a feat she achieved last term and was only 20 minutes away from doing the year prior. That’s an indication of how important she has been to this team ever since arriving in the north west.
Le Tissier was a natural choice as captain, really, when Katie Zelem moved on last summer, but that she was just 22 years old when Marc Skinner offered her that armband was always going to raise questions. Those are questions that Le Tissier asked herself. “But I felt that I was ready and I think if I didn’t feel like I was ready, I would never have accepted it because I knew how big of a job it was,” she tells reporters ahead of Sunday’s final.
That feeling is backed up by the quality she has brought to the table since joining the club and especially since, with Le Tissier displaying such top form this season that she earned herself a nomination for the WSL Player of the Year award.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLove of the job
There are a lot of reasons why Le Tissier is thriving so consistently and seamlessly adapting to the new, higher expectations that continue to come her way. But if you’re looking to understand why she is, quite simply, such a top-quality defender, you only need to see the smile that flashes across her face when United’s defensive record this season is mentioned.
The Red Devils conceded just 16 goals in 22 WSL games this year, the second-lowest of any team in the division – only bettered by champions Chelsea. It’s something that Le Tissier clearly takes great pride in, as a centre-back but also the captain.
“We all love defending,” she says, that smile not fading. “I love defending. I love blocking. I love doing anything I can to keep the ball out of the back of the net, and it's the same for every single player on the pitch, not just the back line. I think the way that we press helps us massively. The way that the No.9s, the wingers, how they press, they get through a lot of work so it definitely makes our lives a lot easier. We probably take the glory but it's a massive team effort. We like to keep it tight and go score goals as well. It's just fun to defend. We like defending.”
Getty ImagesStriving for the top
That will be vital on Sunday as United prepare to face a team they’ve only lost to by the finest of margins this season. In London back in November, only a Guro Reiten penalty separated the two, while it was Lucy Bronze's header from a corner that secured another 1-0 Chelsea win in the north west at the end of last month, one which sealed the Blues' sixth-successive league title.
The remarkable team ethic, which Le Tissier sets as captain, was evident in United’s first game after that loss, when they battled from 2-0 down to draw level with Manchester City at Old Trafford. The Red Devils needed a point to secure Champions League football and their task was made all the more difficult when, having seemingly completed that comeback, they went down to 10 players. But the hosts stood tall, with Le Tissier in particular impressing in her defensive work to help the team confirm their return to the European stage.
That top-three finish is a serious improvement on last year, when United tumbled down to fifth during a really disappointing league season. Victory in the FA Cup final did paper over some of the cracks, but this team knew it needed to be better and, despite the departures of key players like Zelem and Mary Earps, they have been.
“None of the players that we signed, and those that play for this club, want to be anywhere other than the top,” Le Tissier believes. “I think that shows how strong-willed we are, that we want to work together and get to the top no matter what. We might not have the best players in the world, but we've certainly got great talent and young talent wanting to be the best and working together as a team. There are not any individuals in this team.”
Getty ImagesOn England's fringes
Again, that is an insight into Le Tissier’s mindset as much as the rest of the United squad’s, with her certainly one of those rising talents as a 23-year-old who is now consistently one of the best players in the WSL. So why isn’t it translating at England level?
Capped at the age of 20, the centre-back has still only made seven appearances for her country, despite making her debut over two-and-a-half years ago. That has come while her stature at club level has only grown and grown, to the point that she recently became the youngest player to hit 100 WSL appearances.
You’ll only have to look at the Chelsea defence on Sunday to be reminded of two of the main reasons why she cannot seem to breakthrough on the international scene, though. One is the depth the Lionesses have at centre-back. Bright, who Le Tissier will go head-to-head with at Wembley, and Leah Williamson, the England captain, have made up Wiegman’s go-to pairing when both are fit, while players like Alex Greenwood and Jess Carter have been knocking firmly on the door as those next up.
There have been opportunities for Esme Morgan in that role, too, while Le Tissier seems to be part of a lower-tier group in Wiegman's pecking order that also features her centre-back partner at United, Millie Turner.