Aston Villa confirm signing of Man Utd midfielder on 18-month deal

Manchester United and England midfielder Lucy Staniforth has confirmed her departure from the club after Aston Villa announced the signing of the 30-year-old this morning. As reported in ManchesterWorld last week, Villa manager Carla Ward had made Staniforth a priority after completing the signing of fellow Lioness Jordan Nobbs and the club have now confirmed the capture via their social media channels.

Staniforth joined the club on a free transfer from Birmingham City in the summer of 2020, signing a two year deal under former manager Casey Stoney. Current boss Marc Skinner extended that deal by a further year in the summer and praised the player’s professionalism “on and off the field”, adding he was looking forward to “utilising Lucy’s versatility for the successful season ahead”. However, after limited game time, the York-born player has been allowed to depart the club.

United were linked with a £160,000 bid for Norway midfielder star Lisa Naalsund from Brann last week, a move which would have likely saw Staniforth move further down the pecking order at Leigh Sports Village. While there is no further news on that front, it does appear that the club were happy to allow Staniforth to move on after agreeing to mutual cancel the remaining six months of her contract.

A popular figure within the United fanbase, she featured for the club a total of 30 times and scored twice in the Women’s Super League. Her form last season saw her included in Sarina Wiegman’s 28-player premilinary squad for the European Championship though, alongside United skipper Katie Zelem, she was not included in the final squad for the tournament.

Staniforth has signed an 18-month contract with Villa and will be eligible for their game with Tottenham Hotspur this Saturday.