Aoife Mannion ready to make up for lost time with Ireland

Touted as a future international from youth, how unfortunate it was then that Aoife Mannion’s first stab at a major tournament was denied by injury at the age of 27.

Her route of switching allegiance from England only gained traction after Ireland qualified for last year’s World Cup.

Two caps in around this time last year against China and USA elevated her to regular status, only for the Manchester United defender to endure her latest bout of bodily woe.

A revision of her recovery timeline convinced then boss Vera Pauw not to risk her inclusion for the trip to Australia. Their chat on the Belfield campus ended in heartbreak.

“I was in a knee brace because I did my MCL ligament on my knee,” she said of her injury sustained towards the end of United’s WSL campaign.

“I was waiting for that knee brace to come off, thinking it would be four weeks but then the specialist said six.

“Two weeks doesn’t sound like a lot of time but is during the World Cup run-up. Eventually when the brace came off, it was a couple days before the squad was getting announced.

“So I flew over and spoke to her. We had a really good and long conversation in a studio apartment in UCD and it wasn't going to be the direction she was going to go in.” 

That bombshell didn’t deter the Brummie from absorbing the once-in-a-lifetime trip down under, accompanied by her Irish parents.

“I just bunny-hopped onto everyone's holiday,” she admitted.

“I didn't think I was going to enjoy it that much in difficult circumstances of being unavailable. And yet but I actually ended up having a really amazing time, mixing with the fans and going to the stadiums.” 

True to form, one injury was followed by another, and Mannion has only recently returned to the United