As Sonia Bompastor introduced her young children to Serena Williams on the pitch Wembley, before the 23-time grand slam tennis champion headed into the Chelsea dressing room to celebrate with the newly-crowned, unbeaten treble winners, Manchester United manager Marc Skinner was being asked about someone who was creating a different sort of attention by his absence.
For the second year in a row, Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was conspicuously missing from Wembley as his side appeared in the Women’s FA Cup final, and there wasn’t even the excuse of the men’s team playing at the same time to hide behind, either. United were still well represented at Wembley, with chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox, the figures Skinner interacts with on a day-to-day basis, both present.
