Signe Bruun officially leaves Man Utd & returns to Lyon
Signe Bruun has left Manchester United at the end of her loan deal and returned to parent club Lyon, with injuries limiting the Dane to only seven appearances.
Bruun, who displaced Pernille Harder as Danish player of the year in 2021, arrived to much fanfare in January on a short-term deal.
The 24-year-old, who previously had three seasons after Paris Saint-Germain after making her name in Denmark with Fortuna Hjorring, was sadly unable to find the net in a United shirt. However, her presence when fit did appear to push Alessia Russo to another level.
News that Bruun wasn’t expected to remain with United had already been reported in May, although manager Marc Skinner had previously expressed interested in striking another deal. It has also been rumoured that the player could yet sign for another WSL club in 2022/23.
The United boss described Bruun as a ‘great player’ and a ‘great person’, but acknowledged that a niggling injury had made it difficult for her to show her true level. He added, perhaps tellingly, that there were ‘a lot of hoops to jump through’ with regard to trying to re-sign her.
United have already confirmed the summer departures of Martha Harris and Diane Caldwell following the end of their respective contracts, with announcements over the uncertain futures of several more players expected to follow soon.
Ona Batlle, Alessia Russo and Millie Turner were all out of contract on 30 June but United had options to extend each players’ deal for another year. The club is also yet to clarify the futures of Jackie Groenen, Lucy Staniforth, captain Katie Zelem and Kirsty Smith.
In terms of incoming players, the club is primarily seeking a striker, winger, ‘number 10’ and midfielder, with a centre-back also being considered.
No new faces have yet arrived, with Skinner having said that he was initially hoping that signings could be made before Euro 2022, which starts next week. But while that was the ideal timeframe, he insisted that it mattered little as long as deals are concluded at some point.
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