Ella Toone’s return to action this past weekend couldn’t have gone much better. After a two-month absence due to a frustrating calf injury, the Manchester United star made her comeback with 25 minutes to play in the Red Devils’ FA Cup fourth-round clash with third-tier West Brom, and even she would’ve struggled to dream up a better goal than that she produced to make it 4-0 to the holders.
A curling strike from the corner of the box that crashed in off the underside of the bar, it certainly will have whet the appetite of fans who haven’t seen their No.7 since mid-November, especially with a big week coming for United. On Sunday, they make the short trip to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City; three days later, they welcome their city rivals for a League Cup quarter-final; and the week is rounded off with a home fixture against Brighton, the surprise package of the Women’s Super League season who would bolster their own chances of Champions League qualification by beating United.
It’s the perfect time to welcome back a player like Toone then, someone who is talismanic, who can produce a moment of magic and who, in her own words, feels in a much better place going into the second half of the season. That will be music to the ears of fans desperate to see their team enjoy a successful end to the campaign.