There are motivational messages and then there are motivational messages from the fastest man on the planet.
In a sport consumed by an obsession with the most marginal gains, it seems even supportive messages need to be more impressive than those received by your rivals. Manchester United are set to welcome West Ham Women to the Theatre of Dreams on Saturday evening, and Jamaican sprinter and long-time United fan Usain Bolt has sent the team some fiery words of encouragement.
“Hey ladies, it’s Usain here," he said. "You know I’m a massive supporter of United and I hear you guys are playing West Ham this Saturday, so I’m very excited. I just want to wish you all the best. I’ll be watching, I’ll be cheering on, so go out there and win, because that’s what we do. Let’s go!”
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Bolt’s United faith is well-documented and the world record-holding sprinter recently revealed he spoke to manager Erik ten Hag about United's summer transfer plans when the pair met at United's 3-1 FA Cup win over Fulham.
Marc Skinner’s side sit second in the WSL table and are just two points off leaders Chelsea, albeit having played a game more.
However, with Manchester City, who sit third in the table, hosting the Blues on Sunday, a victory for United over Sunday’s midtable opponents could prove pivotal in an engrossing title race if Chelsea drop points to Gareth Taylor's side.
History favours United, who boast a 100% winning record at Old Trafford, having played three matches there in total. In their most recent visit, the Reds packed out the stadium with a record crowd of 30,000 watching United comfortably beat Aston Villa 5-0 earlier this season. A similar attendance is expected on Saturday.
Sunday marks the second time the Hammers will have played at Old Trafford, falling to a 2-0 behind-closed-doors defeat in March 2021, with goals arriving from Lauren James and Christen Press, while West Ham's Laura Vetterlein saw red less than 15 minutes from time.
United will hope for a similarly straightforward affair on Saturday as they continue their title hunt. Kick-off is at 5:30pm.
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