Melvine Malard is fashionably late. She prefers to make an entrance, you hear her before you see her. The way she plays football is similarly high-spirited.
Sitting down for an exclusive chat with Sky Sports at Carrington, the Manchester United forward arrives bouncing with energy, excited by the flashing cameras. Some shy away, not Malard. She is enjoying her best season since making the switch from Lyon in 2023, using that unique expression to make a splash in big games.
Most recently, she had a hand in all three goals as United blew away Champions League opponents Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital, assisting two and scoring the other in a statement 3-0 victory. United’s reward is to host Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals later this month.
“I like to show who I am. I come into this room and I scream, I have too much energy,” she responds, when prompted about the importance of personality in her performance. Malard celebrates individuality and creativity as much in her game as she does everyday life. “Be who you are” is her mantra.
The French forward, still only 25, is thriving because of and as part of the success United are enjoying so far this season. Marc Skinner’s team are technically still alive and kicking in three competitions, albeit eight points off the summit in the WSL and unlikely to rival northwest neighbours Manchester City in the race for the title.
Still, this campaign has plenty of spoils to offer a side finally in a position to make good on their vast potential. Malard herself has been directly involved in eight goals across 16 league appearances this term, already more contributions than in both of her previous two campaigns combined. When asked about the prospect of facing Chelsea in the Subway Cup final later this week her eyes lit up.
That alone will not suffice, though. United need all their biggest stars to shine brightest during this season-defining run, which also includes the Manchester derby at the end of March. “Of course I don’t want to stop because I started the season great, I think it’s coming,” she says. “Football is a pleasure like this, and we have to keep going with that because it’s a very good feeling. With the team I’m enjoying myself.”
The endeavour is mirrored by her manager. Speaking about this year’s ambition earlier this season, Skinner told Sky Sports that the team have reimagined what progress means. No longer is it enough to make finals or finish as runners-up, the drive to win is now the definition of success.
Man Utd play Chelsea in the League Cup final on March 15
The conversation about the make-up of a winning side with Malard – she describes as “strong together, energy and happiness” – brought to mind another segment of that chat with Skinner, where he spoke about the finer points of difference in certain game states.
At Villa Park in January Manchester United were drawing 1-1 with Aston Villa and Malard, player of the match that day, chose to play a square pass in the final third. Possession was not lost, but that wasn’t the point. The decision prompted Skinner to rise furiously from his seat in the dugout and bellow instruction at the forward, as if she should have known better.
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Highlights from the Women’s Super League clash between Aston Villa and Manchester United.
“I hate square passes,” he said in a conversation a few weeks later, “they are triggers to press”. Instead, Skinner wanted Malard to find an angle before rolling a pass inside, with less risk of interception and therefore less likelihood of getting countered. United ran out 4-1 winners and Malard ended the game with a pair of assists.
“That level of detail can be the change in momentum and what costs you a game,” Skinner added, remembering the exact incident well despite it being two or three games ago. The logic makes sense, however harsh. That’s elite sport. It’s something Malard is used to from her time playing under perfectionist coach Sonia Bompastor at Lyon.
“Some games I’m not there to score and that is okay, it’s good. When my team-mates are scoring and we win it’s fine and I play free. I do the pass or the running,” she continues from Carrington, albeit with a tinge of reluctance in the last bit. This is a player whose best work is done in the starring role. Like all good wide receivers, she comes alive in the end zone.
Malard also reveals how Skinner has tasked her with being braver in the final phase to “finish the action” – United are the league’s second-highest scorers behind Manchester City but Malard herself has not found the net since October. The confidence to create and impact in other ways thankfully hasn’t suffered.
“When I signed here I wanted to put a page in my story, and every year I have something to put inside,” she adds. “We can feel the important moment we are in, all the competitions step by step. We deserve this.” That line was said with more conviction than the bit about the thankless task of running the channels without a goal as reward.
Malard might not be perfect in every transition of the game but she is a vital part of what Manchester United are building under Skinner – as long as she keeps square passes to a minimum, of course.
Watch Chelsea vs Man Utd in the Subway Cup final live on Sky Sports on Sunday; kick-off 2.15pm
