Ahead of 2026/27 campaign, Swedish international Fridolina Rolfö spoke exclusively to Her Football Hub at Manchester United’s media day to discuss her belief in the club’s pursuit of their first Women’s Super League title.
The 32-year-old enters her second season at Man United after an impressive debut campaign, which saw her establish herself as a key part of Marc Skinner’s side.
Advertisement
Rolfö joined the Reds in August 2025 after four trophy-laden seasons with Barcelona. She won four Liga F titles and two UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies with Barca. Before her time in Spain, she became a household name while with Bayern Munich, before joining VFL Wolfsburg for two seasons.
Originally a winger, the Swede developed into an accomplished left-back at Barcelona. She has continued to operate on the left-hand side since moving to Manchester.
Signed ahead of Manchester United’s maiden European campaign, she made 30 appearances in all competitions during her first season, scoring seven goals. She hopes the side can forget last season’s disappointing end, which saw them finish fourth after a promising start to the season, and therefore miss out on European football.
“This season, we should perform as good as possible. We know it’s a lot of competition in the league. So you always need to perform really well to be up there on the top, which we always want to be. So that’s the goal, to get such a good position,” she said.
Advertisement
“United was always one of those teams that I was like, ‘Oh, I would like to play for that club’. So, I’m happy that I took that decision to play for this club. It’s a great club and we’ve been doing great so far.”
Have Manchester United ever won the Women’s Super League?
Embed from Getty Images
Following their promotion to the top flight in 2019, United have had several top three finishes. However, they have struggled to dislodge the so-called ‘big three’ for their first WSL title.
After finishing fourth last time out, United missed out on a European spot. Rolfö believes this will benefit the side in their pursuit of a maiden league title.
Advertisement
“Hopefully that could be an advantage for us,” she said. “We could see with City this season, they were performing really well and didn’t have Champions League.
“So, hopefully, we can get more rest and be even sharper when the weekend comes and we have a WSL game and also for the cups. So hopefully that will be us this season.”
Having won league titles in each country she’s played, conquering the WSL is a ‘big goal’ for Rölfo.
“I know how hard it is in this league and it’s so competitive, so we have to perform at our absolute highest level every game to reach that. But yeah, we’ll see, everything is possible and we’ve seen it in this league. Every team can beat any team.”
Advertisement
Embed from Getty Images
Many of the WSL’s new arrivals have hailed the league’s competitiveness as their main incentive for joining, and with the league expanding from 12 to 14 sides, this season is sure to be more competitive than ever.
Clubs are investing at unprecedented levels, with London City Lionesses bringing in two-time Ballon d’Or champion Alexia Putellas, while Brighton have unveiled plans for a bespoke women’s stadium.
“It’s great,” said Rolfö. “The league is developing, and we see more teams are coming up, and I think it’s a good thing. Because the league has been great this season, and I’m sure that those two teams that are coming up will be on the same level.”
Advertisement
Looking ahead to the 2026/27 WSL campaign
Alongside competing for their first league title, the new season provides United a unique opportunity to make history via a new trophy. The Players Cup — previously named the Subway League Cup — offers clubs not competing in Europe a far better chance with the ‘big three’ unable to compete.
These three — Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City — are the only sides to have won the League Cup since its inception in 2011.
United have reached one League Cup final in their history, which came last season against Sonia Bompastor’s Chelsea. The Reds defeated Arsenal in the semi-final before losing out to the west London side 2-0. However, with the aforementioned sides unable to participate, the Sweden international has high hopes of getting her hands on the trophy.
Advertisement
“Of course we’re gonna give our all for reaching that trophy. It’s something you always aim for as a football player. You want to win trophies, and there is a big possibility, and we’re gonna give our all to get it.”
Embed from Getty Images
United open their 2026/27 WSL campaign away against London City Lionesses, before facing Chelsea and Arsenal. With little room for mistakes, even in the newly-expanded division, Rolfö admits she likes having a difficult start to the season.
She said: “I think it’s great to start like that. You have the toughest opponents right away, and then you see, okay, what is the level of the league? And you can just go from there. So I actually think it looks great to have those first games coming up. Looking forward to it.”
Advertisement
Reflecting on last season
Looking back, United started strong, remaining unbeaten until a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa in November. However momentum shifted in the second half of the season when European demands conflicted with league obligations.
The side struggled with a flurry of injuries to key players such as Ella Toone, while heavy January recruitment meant the side took a while to settle, according to the forward.
“I would say the main reason why we started better was because we picked up a lot of injuries in the second half of the season, which wasn’t great for us. So I would say we were more fit then, I think also, we got some new players in, and maybe not what everyone expected. Other teams got to know us better, and we didn’t perform as good as the start of the season.”
Advertisement
Embed from Getty Images
Despite the departure of Marc Skinner, who was the league’s longest reigning head coach, the 32-year-old believes the side can take lessons from last season, in particular from their European run.
A promising league phase saw the Reds defeat Atlético Madrid and Paris Saint Germain, while narrow defeats to Juventus and Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals provided the squad with valuable lessons they can carry into the upcoming campaign.
“For sure, playing midweek games is something that was new for the team, and it was a big challenge,” she explained.
“You go from playing, I don’t know how many games, one season, to playing many more games. I hope we learn something from that and bring it for the future. Because we want to get back to Champions League. That’s the most fun tournament you can play and you want to be there.”
Advertisement
How to watch Manchester United vs London City Lionesses
Manchester United get their title challenge underway on Friday, 4th September. The match against London City will be streamed on Sky Sports for UK viewers, with kick-off at 7pm (BST). International viewers will be able to access to the game through the Barclays Women’s Super League YouTube channel.
Related articles from Her Football Hub:
-
WSL: Carlotta Wamser signs for Man City on four-year deal
-
WSL: Will the 2026/27 season be the most competitive yet for title, Champions League and survival?
-
WSL: Are London City Lionesses challenging the energy of football royalty Barcelona?
Read the full article here