Manchester United have secured the signing of Nikita Parris from Women's Super League rivals Arsenal.
The 28-year-old has put pen to paper on a two-year contract in the north west, having helped England win the European Championships less than week ago. Parris made two cameo appearances for the Lionesses as they ended the nation's 56-year wait for a major international trophy.
A Liverpudlian, the forward has also featured for Everton and Manchester City. Parris joined Arsenal last summer following two years with French giants Lyon, where she won the Champions League. However, she only made one start and scored just one WSL goal for the Gunners in 2021-22 as they finished in second, just a point behind champions Chelsea.
United, meanwhile, were 14 points adrift of the WSL champions, but manager Marc Skinner is rebuilding this summer in a bid to win the club's first top-flight title. ''It feels unbelievable, quite surreal,'' Parris told manutd.com. ''It's been quite the summer and this now tops it off. I'm just happy to be here and I can't wait to get started.''
The 67-capped England international went on to say: ''With my winning mentality in matches and in training I want to help the team move forward. A lot of fourth-placed finishes and just missing out on those third spots, I now want to help the team grow. I'm not just the only new signing this summer so it shows the intent from the club and from Marc in what he wants with from the squad and how we want to push forward and aim for those top spots."
Skinner was equally delighted with the deal, adding: "Nikita's winning pedigree will be a great addition to our team. She is a proven winner on both the domestic and international stage and will bring a real maturity to the environment. Securing a player of Nikita's calibre cements this great club's ambition for the season ahead and we look forward to welcoming her into pre-season, after a well-deserved rest!"
The Red Devils begin their preparations for the new season by facing Paris Saint-Germain in a friendly on Tuesday, August 16. Skinner and co will then start their WSL campaign by facing Tottenham Hotspur away from home on Saturday, September 10 before welcoming Reading for their first home match a week later.
Fans of the women's game are already experiencing the positive ripple effects of the Lionesses' Euro 2022 triumph. United's bitter rivals, City, have sold twice as many season tickets as they did last year and 10,000 tickets have already been snapped up for December's Manchester derby.
