Manchester United have confirmed Lucia Garcia will depart the club following the conclusion of her contract at the end of this month.
The 25-year-old Spanish winger joined United in the summer of 2022 from Athletic Bilbao and made 60 appearances in all competitions, scoring 18 goals.
She scored twice in the 2024 FA Cup final victory over Tottenham Hotspur in May as United’s women’s team won their first major trophy.
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“For me, it has been two incredible seasons,” Garcia said. “I was so happy to have been a part of this team and to have helped the team. We are like a family.
“I am going to miss every single piece of Manchester United. All my friends, all the team, all the staff, all the workers here.
“But at the end of the day, I have to say goodbye. That’s so hard for me, and the only thing I can say to you all is I love you (from) the bottom of my heart.”
Garcia could be one of one of a number of first team players leaving Manchester United on a free transfer this summer, with Mary Earps Katie Zelem and Nikita Parris all out of contract on June 30. The Athletic reported on Tuesday (June 25) that United expect Earps to leave, with the England goalkeeper considering an attractive offer from Paris Saint-Germain.
Alessia Russo and Ona Batlle also exited the club following the expiration of their contracts last summer, joining Arsenal and Barcelona respectively.
The uncertainty over key players in the women’s side comes after comments made by United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in an interview with Bloomberg last week.
Asked whether United would consider looking for external investment into the women’s side as Chelsea have, Ratcliffe replied: “We haven’t got into that level of detail with the women’s team yet.
“We’ve been pretty much focused on how we resolve the first-team issues in that environment and that’s been pretty full-time for the first six months.”
The Athletic reported Manchester United men’s team are set to use the women’s first-team building amid the renovations being carried out at Carrington during the 2024-25 season, in a move that will see the women’s side asked to use portable cabins when schedules cross over.
Garcia played an important role as United finished second in the Women’s Super League during her debut season, securing Champions League qualification for the first time, with the Spain international scoring eight goals in 20 WSL appearances.
United finished fifth in the WSL last season, their lowest finish in the top flight since their promotion in 2019.
They won the FA Cup for the first time with a 4-0 victory over Tottenham in the final. Garcia started at Wembley and scored her side’s third and fourth goals.
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